Bug FAQSilver-bordered Aethes
Aethes argentilimitana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tortricidae
It lives in dry, open meadow and field areas across many parts of North America, from Canadian provinces such as Ontario to U.S. states including Illinois, Maine and Wisconsin. Adults fly from April through September and likely produce several generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Aethes argentilimitana, called the silver-bordered aethes, belongs to the moth family Tortricidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 3.9 to 5.7 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers dry, open meadow and field habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight period spans April through September, suggesting several broods.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alabama, Pennsylvania.
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
When are silver-bordered aethes active?
Adults fly from April through September, likely producing several generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find them?
They live in dry, open meadow and field areas across many parts of North America, from Ontario to numerous U.S. states.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tortricidae)
Oblique-banded Leafroller MothChoristoneura rosaceanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden TortrixClepsis peritanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common MarbleSyricoris lacunanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red-banded Leafroller MothArgyrotaenia velutinanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Light Brown Apple MothEpiphyas postvittanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Aster and Reddish Eucosma Moths and AlliesEucosma parmatanaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aethes_argentilimitana
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.