Gray Quaker

Gray Quaker

Orthosia alurina
OWLET MOTH FAMILY (Noctuidae)

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The Gray Quaker moth has a wingspan of 1.5 inches. The forewing is light to medium gray with a reddish tint. The antemedian and postmedian lines are very inconspicuous. The terminal line is a series of black dots. The hindwing is shiny, pale gray to brown with a faint discal spot. The male has serrate antennae. The caterpillar is green to dark green to nearly black with dense white speckling. There is a white mid-dorsal stripe and a white spiracular stripe. The subdorsal stripe is broken into white spots. The head is pale green or shiny black or a mix of both. The larva grows to 1.5 inches.

 

The frequency of occurrence in this area is not known. The individual shown here was photographed in mid-March 2016 at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center. The range is from Quebec and Maine to Florida west to Texas and north to Ontario.

 

Larval food plants are basswood, cherry, crabapple, serviceberry and many other woody plants. There is one generation with mature caterpillars in late spring

 

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