Bug FAQExposed Bird Dropping Moth
Acontia aprica · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The exposed bird dropping moth has a wingspan of about 15 to 29 mm and lives in gardens, fields and other open areas. It is found across North America from eastern Canada down to Florida and west to Arizona, with adults flying from March to September in the south and a shorter season farther north.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are on the wing from March through September in southern regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 15 to 29 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits gardens, fields and other open areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on hollyhock (Alcea rosea).
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from March through September in southern locations and have a reduced season farther north.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs in North America from Ontario and Quebec down to Florida, west to Arizona, and north to Kansas and Iowa.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Noctuidae)
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Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarache_aprica
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.