Orange-patched smoky moth
Pyromorpha dimidiata
The orange-patched smoky moth has two-toned front wings: dark smoky grey with a big orange patch. When it rests, it holds its wings flat over its back. It looks a lot like a net-winged beetle.
Lives in
Eastern North America, from Mississippi and Missouri to Florida, New York and Rhode Island
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat leaves. It belongs to the leaf skeletonizers, which eat the soft parts of leaves and leave the veins.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Orange-patched smoky moth about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its grey parts sometimes have a blue shine.
2
A different moth, the black-and-yellow lichen moth, looks almost the same, but it flies later in summer.
3
You can see it from March to August, most often in May and June.
you asked
Most asked questions about Orange-patched smoky moth
?What does the orange-patched smoky moth look like?
Its front wings are dark grey with a large orange patch, held flat over its body.
?When can I see the orange-patched smoky moth?
From March to August, most often in May and June.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Pyromorpha dimidiata
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Zygaenidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Zygaenidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Pyromorpha dimidiata (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by John Flannery from Richmond County, North Carolina, USA. CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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