Cattail Caterpillar Moth

Cattail Caterpillar Moth

Simyra insularis
OWLET MOTH FAMILY (Noctuidae)

Click on each photo thumbnail to enlarge.

Adults fly from April to September. The one pictured here was photographed at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in early April 2015. The adults are nocturnal and are attracted to lights. This species occurs throughout the US and southern Canada and is probably uncommon in this area.

 

Another common name is Henry’s Marsh Moth. The larvae feed on cattail, smartweed, grasses, sedges, poplar and willow. The species overwinters as a pupa.

 

Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Babs Padelford.