Bug FAQShadowy Arches
Drasteria adumbrata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The shadowy arches is a moth in the family Erebidae with a wingspan of about 32 mm. It lives across southern Canada and the northern United States, reaching as far south as California, Colorado, New England and Michigan. Its caterpillars feed on lowbush blueberry and related Vaccinium species, and have also been found on bearberry.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Drasteria adumbrata, called the shadowy arches, belongs to the moth family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan measures roughly 32 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) and probably other Vaccinium species, and have also been recorded on bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi).
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult moths are on the wing during the summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range covers southern Canada and the northern United States, reaching as far south as the states mentioned above.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 18 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, California, Montana, Oregon, Michigan, Idaho, Utah, Washington.
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 lowbush blueberry and other Vaccinium plants, and have also been found on bearberry.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this moth found?
It occurs across southern Canada and the northern United States, extending south to California, Colorado, New England and Michigan.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drasteria_adumbrata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.