Bug FAQSympistis major
Sympistis major · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The wingspan measures about 31 to 36 mm. It is widely found throughout the Pacific Northwest of North America. Its caterpillars eat Penstemon plants, especially Penstemon fruticosus.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is 31 to 36 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives widely across the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its distribution is the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Oregon, Montana, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Nevada.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
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/Sympistis_major
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.