Bug FAQThe Delicate
Mythimna vitellina · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Delicate
The Delicate moth has pale yellow-ochre forewings often flushed with reddish-brown and fine rufous veins; the hindwing is ochreous-white and may appear greyer in females. Its wingspan ranges from 36 to 43 mm and the forewings are 12 to 14 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are pale yellow-ochre, often strongly flushed with rufous, with fine rufous veins and faint, angulated lines; the reniform spot is rufous with a dark lower spot.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan measures 36 to 43 mm. Forewing length is 12 to 14 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on a variety of grasses.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are recorded on the wing in August and October, and sometimes earlier in the season.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
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/Mythimna_vitellina
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.