The Lucerne Moth has a wingspan of 1 to 1.5 inches. At rest the wings are overlapped and pressed against the abdomen which gives it a long and narrow profile. The forewing is brown with 2 dark side-by-side oval spots near the middle and another dark bi-lobed spot a little farther out. The hindwing is broader than the forewing and pale brownish-gray with a light fringe. The caterpillar has a black head and a variably light brown to dark gray abdomen. It has a bumpy surface and long sparse hairs. This moth was identified by volunteer experts at the BugGuide website.
This moth is a very common moth at Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. Adults can be found from spring to fall.
The larval food plants are grasses, Alfalfa, smartweed, sweet clover and other low herbaceous plants. The larva is also called the False Webworm. The Lucerne Moth, also called the Celery Webworm Moth by some authors, is the only species in the genus Nomophila in North America and one of three worldwide species in the genus.
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