Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Pyrrhia Members: 112 NC Records

Pyrrhia exprimens (Walker, 1857) - Purple-lined Sallow

Pyrrhia exprimensPyrrhia exprimensPyrrhia exprimensPyrrhia exprimens
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Heliothinae		P3 Number:
932041		 MONA Number:
11064.00		 Other Common Name:
Purple-lined Sun Moth
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Pyrrhia exprimensAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Wagner et al. (2011) list fields, gardens, prairies, and mostly open areas as habitats used by this species. We have records from montane wet meadows and high elevation fields and openings but we also have some from high elevation forests and from cove forests at lower elevations. Piedmont records come from monadnocks with montane-like vegetation.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on both herbaceous and woody plants (Wagner et al., 2011). Beggarticks (Bidens sp.) and legumes are commonly used, but a wide range of herbaceous species in other plant families are also eaten, as are poplars and willows. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Montane Forests and Fields
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Pyrrhia exprimens - Purple-lined Sallow

 39 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2024-06-28
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-06-24
Transylvania Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-06-24
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-23
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Owen McConnell and Simpson Eason on 2024-06-19
Graham Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2024-05-26
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2024-05-07
Buncombe Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-07-31
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-07-29
Graham Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-07-06
Madison Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-07-02
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-06-26
Buncombe Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-06-19
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Emily Stanley on 2023-05-18
Yancey Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-07-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2022-07-13
Buncombe Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Richard Teper on 2022-06-26
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-07-31
Graham Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-07-20
Graham Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-07-15
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-07-14
Madison Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-06-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: tom ward on 2021-05-23
Buncombe Co.
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Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-05-18
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Pyrrhia exprimensRecorded by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn on 2020-07-15
Polk Co.
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