Bug Wiki
Sticker of American lappet moth
Bug card No. 0086 of 4,939

American lappet moth

Phyllodesma americana
Eats: PlantsMothsForests and woods6 legs

The American lappet moth is a furry moth that lives in many parts of North America. Its caterpillars munch the leaves of trees and bushes. In warm places there are two families of these moths every year.

Lives in
North America, from Canada and Alaska down to Florida, Texas and California
Wingspan
2.9 to 4.9 cm (1.1 to 1.9 in)
Top speed
about 15 km/h (9.3 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat the leaves of trees like alder, birch, oak, poplar and willow, and of rose plants.
For real!Photo of American lappet moth
Picture by Beatriz Moisset. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How wide are its wings?

American lappet moth wings about 4.9 cm tip to tip (1.9 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
wings as wide as 1.5 toy building brickscould fly across a whole football pitch in 25 seconds

How big is American lappet moth compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its wings measure about 3 to 5 centimetres from tip to tip.

2

In the south it flies from March to September, but in the cold north only in early summer.

3

In the north there is only one family of moths a year, in the south there are two.

4

Scientists split it into six slightly different kinds, living in different areas such as the Rocky Mountains, California and Alaska.

you asked

Most asked questions about American lappet moth

?Is the American lappet moth harmful?

No. It does not bite or sting, it just eats tree leaves as a caterpillar.

?What does the American lappet moth eat?

Its caterpillars eat leaves of trees such as oak, birch, willow, alder and poplar.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Phyllodesma americana
Group
Moths
Family
Lasiocampidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Lasiocampidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Phyllodesma americana (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Beatriz Moisset. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Moths

Also at home here: Forests and woods

Honey jarfor grown-ups