Bug FAQSchinia deserticola
Schinia deserticola · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The deserticola flower moth has a wingspan of about 22 to 28 mm. It lives from southern California through southeastern Arizona and northward to western Utah and southeastern Oregon. Its caterpillars feed on the plant Camissonia claviformis, and it was once treated as a subspecies of Schinia cupes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 22 mm to 28 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the plant Camissonia claviformis.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes southern California, southeastern Arizona, west-central Utah and southeastern Oregon.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 6 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Utah, Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is this moth found?
It occurs from southern California through southeastern Arizona up to western Utah and southeastern Oregon.
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/Schinia_deserticola
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.