Bug FAQYellow-lined Owlet
Colobochyla interpuncta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: Yellow-lined Owlet Moth
The yellow-lined owlet is a small moth with a wingspan of about 20 to 24 mm. It lives in wetlands across the eastern United States and eastern Canada, from Wisconsin and Nova Scotia down to Florida and Texas. Adults fly from spring through early fall, and there are usually two generations each year in the north, with more farther south.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Colobochyla interpuncta, also called the swamp belle or yellow-lined owlet, belongs to the moth family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures between 20 and 24 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in North American wetlands.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on willow.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In Ohio and Connecticut there are two generations per year, with more generations farther south.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from April through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes wetlands from Wisconsin to Nova Scotia and south to Florida and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Florida, Connecticut.
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
Questions people ask
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 acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colobochyla_interpuncta
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.