Bug FAQSchinia oleagina
Schinia oleagina · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 27 mm. Its caterpillars feed on plants in the genus Brickellia.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan measures roughly 27 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat Brickellia species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found throughout much of the western part of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, California, Oregon, Colorado, Oklahoma, Montana.
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
What do Schinia oleagina caterpillars eat?
They feed on plants of the genus Brickellia.
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_oleagina
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.