Bug FAQSmall Engrailed
Ectropis crepuscularia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: Engrailed, Engrailed/Small Engrailed
The small engrailed moth has a wingspan of about 1.5 to 1.8 inches and its wings are buff or grey with faint darker bands and a pale crossline. It flies at night from March to August in the British Isles and is attracted to light.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are a buff or grey ground colour marked with subtle darker bands and a pale post-discal crossline. These dark markings are weaker than those of the similar willow beauty.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan of 38 to 45 mm (about 1.5 to 1.8 inches).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The species occurs across the British Isles, central and eastern Europe, extending to the Russian Far East and Kazakhstan. It is also found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars, known as saddleback loopers, feed on a wide variety of plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
One or two generations are produced each year. The species overwinters in the pupal stage.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be seen from March through August in the British Isles, with timing varying elsewhere. They are nocturnal and are attracted to lights.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found in North America, and from the British Isles east to the Russian Far East and Kazakhstan.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Compared with the willow beauty, the small engrailed’s darker wing markings are generally less pronounced.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 46 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York.
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
When are small engrailed moths active?
In the British Isles they are on the wing from March to August and are attracted to light at night.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars look like?
The larvae are greyish and are called saddleback loopers; they feed on many different plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Willow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidaria
Pale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Riband WaveIdaea aversata
Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engrailed_%28moth%29
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.