Bug FAQSooty Scoparia Moth
Scoparia cinereomedia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
The Sooty Scoparia Moth has a wingspan of about 14.5 to 15 mm. Its forewings are pale grey with a black-shaded basal area, a clear grey middle, and a black-shaded terminal area; the hindwings are greyish. Adults are on the wing from May through August and are found across North America.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are pale grey, the base is darkened with black up to the inner line, the middle is clear grey, and the edge is black; hindwings are greyish.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan measures roughly 14.5 to 15 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults have been recorded flying from May to August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vermont, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, New Hampshire.
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 Sooty Scoparia Moths active?
Adults are on the wing from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalis
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoparia_cinereomedia
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.