Bug FAQSchinia mortua
Schinia mortua · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The moth has a wingspan of about 23 to 27 millimeters. Its caterpillars feed on plants in the Grindelia and Haplopappus genera.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 23 to 27 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat Grindelia and Haplopappus species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to the western half of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 18 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Minnesota, Wyoming, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae eat?
The larvae feed on plants of the Grindelia and Haplopappus genera.
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_mortua
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.