This moth has a wingspan of less than one inch. As a member of the Crambid Snout Moth family, it has a distinctive wing pattern with two black dots on an orange fringe. The subterminal line is angled silvery-gray or whitish. The hindwing is gray with a thin dark terminal line. The larva has a red or orange head and yellowish thorax. The abdomen is white to dark brown or blackish with 1 or 2 lateral hairs per segment.
Active both during day and night, this species is attracted to light. The adults are active from June through August. They are found in grasslands, fields, cranberry plantations and tree nurseries. The individual in images A and B were photographed and identified by David Reed in Fontenelle Forest early July 2009. Image C was photographed at Camp Logan Fontenelle, Fontenelle Forest in late July 2015.
Another common name for this species is Cranberry Girdler. The young larvae feed on soft tissue such as crowns, leaves and roots of grasses. Mature larvae feed on bark of cranberry and many other species of herbaceous plants.
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.