Bug FAQSmall Ranunculus
Hecatera dysodea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Small Ranunculus [moth]
Small Ranunculus is a moth with a wingspan of about 32 to 34 mm and forewings 14 to 15 mm long. It lives in dry open places such as roadsides, gardens and parks across much of Europe and parts of Asia. The larvae feed on the flowers and seeds of Asteraceae plants, especially lettuce relatives.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are whitish with grey speckles, orange-mixed markings and black-orange edged lines; hindwings are pale grey. The forewing is greenish-grey dusted with dark grey, all lines highlighted by orange scales; the hindwing is dull grey, darker in females with a broad dark border.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 32 to 34 mm. Forewing length is 14 to 15 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Prefers dry ruderal sites, brownfields, roadsides, embankments, gardens and parks. In the Alps it can be found up to 1400 m altitude.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat flowers and seeds of Asteraceae, particularly Lactuca species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Cocoons usually hatch in June when humidity rises.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight period is May through mid-August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found throughout Europe, especially Central and Southern Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Often confused with P. spinaciae, which shares many markings. The darker form koechlini has stronger orange markings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does Small Ranunculus look like?
Its forewings are whitish with grey speckles, orange-mixed markings and black-orange edged lines; hindwings are pale grey.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the larvae feed on?
The caterpillars eat the flowers and seeds of Asteraceae plants, especially lettuce relatives.
Source: Wikipedia
What other moths look similar?
It is similar to P. spinaciae and the darker koechlini form, which has stronger orange markings.
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/Hecatera_dysodea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.