Bug FAQSmall Quaker
Orthosia cruda · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The small Quaker moth has a wingspan of about 28 to 32 mm and grey-brown forewings with dark markings and a dull grey hindwing. It flies in a single generation from late February to mid-May.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 28 to 32 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives among leaves that are spun together.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on a variety of deciduous trees such as oak and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from late February through mid-May.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found across Europe, North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), Turkey, the Caucasus region, Kazakhstan, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and Jordan.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles Orthosia stabilis in colour, but can be distinguished by the amount of red coloration present.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on leaves of deciduous trees such as oak and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell small Quaker moths apart from similar species?
They look like Orthosia stabilis but differ in the amount of red shown on the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthosia_cruda
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.