Bug FAQSoft-lined Wave
Scopula inductata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
The soft-lined wave moth has a wingspan of about 20 to 25 mm. It lives across North America from Newfoundland to British Columbia and south to Alabama and Utah. Its caterpillars feed on plants such as aster, clover, dandelion, ragweed and sweet clover, and adults are seen from July through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 20 to 25 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat aster, clover, dandelion, ragweed and sweet clover species.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from July to September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found throughout North America, from eastern Canada to the Pacific coast and down to the southern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 47 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Vermont.
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
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/Scopula_inductata
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 2026-10-23.