Bug FAQRustic Quaker
Orthodes majuscula · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Rustic Quaker Moth
The rustic Quaker moth (Orthodes majuscula) is a noctuid with a wingspan of 28 to 35 mm. It is common across the New World, especially in eastern North America, and adults are seen from May to August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Orthodes majuscula, known as the rustic Quaker, belongs to the moth family Noctuidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from about 28 to 35 millimetres.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives widely across the New World, from eastern Canada and the United States down through the Caribbean, Central America and into Brazil.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on many common plants such as dandelion, plantain, grasses and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
You will see them flying during the late spring and summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 41 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Vermont, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Massachusetts, Wisconsin.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on plants like dandelion, plantain, grasses and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodes_majuscula
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.