Bug FAQSilver-banded Gem Moth
Schinia cumatilis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The silver-banded gem moth has a wingspan of roughly 24 to 27 mm. It lives from the southwestern United States up into southern Canada. Its caterpillars feed on the plant Artemisia frigida.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 24 to 27 mm across the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat the plant Artemisia frigida.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs from the southwestern U.S. into southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is this moth found?
It is native to the southwestern United States and extends into southern Canada.
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_cumatilis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.