Bug FAQSmall Gamma Looper Moth
Syngrapha microgamma · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The little bride looper moth has a wingspan of about 1 to 1.2 inches. It lives across much of Canada, the northern United States near the Great Lakes, and across northern Europe and into eastern Asia. Adults fly from May through July and there is one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Syngrapha microgamma belongs to the Noctuidae family and is called the little bride looper moth.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 26 to 30 mm (about 1.0 to 1.2 in).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on plants such as Labrador tea, dwarf birch, creeping willow, bog blueberry, and marsh Labrador tea.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to July, producing one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults appear during the late spring and early summer months.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to Canada and the northern United States, and also occurs in northern Europe and eastern Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 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. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
When can I see adult little bride looper moths?
Adults are active from May through July, depending on where you are.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on Labrador tea, dwarf birch, creeping willow, bog blueberry, and marsh Labrador tea.
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/Syngrapha_microgamma
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.