Bug FAQWashed-out Zale Moth
Zale metatoides · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: Washed-out Zale
The washed-out Zale moth has a wingspan of about 35 mm. It lives in barrens and pine woodlands across the northern United States from Wisconsin and probably Manitoba east to Maine and south to the mountains of Georgia. There is one generation of this moth each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is roughly 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in barrens and pine woodlands.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
One generation occurs each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New York, South Carolina.
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
How many generations does the washed-out Zale moth have per year?
It produces one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zale_metatoides
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.