Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Alsophila Members: 163 NC Records

Alsophila pometaria (Harris, 1841) - Fall Cankerworm Moth

Alsophila pometariaAlsophila pometaria
view caption 		Alsophila pometariaAlsophila pometaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Alsophilinae		P3 Number:
91a1128		 MONA Number:
6258.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Wingspan: 2.6 - 3.2 cm, females wingless (Covell, 1984)
Structural photos
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Possibly statewide, with the exception of the high mountains.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Alsophila pometariaAlamance 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.
Immature 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: immatures.
Flight Comments: Among the most common species in the winter, with nearly all of our records coming between December and February. Probably under-reported due to the lack of winter sampling.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are broadly polyphagous on woody trees and shrubs. Wagner (2005) specifically lists apple (Malus), basswood (Tilia), blueberry (Vaccinium), cherry (Prunus), elm (Ulmus), maple (Acer), and oak (Quercus). Heppner (2007) adds ash (Fraxinus), beech (Fagus), birch (Betula), chestnut (Castanea), hackberry (Celtis), hawthorn (Crataegus), hop-hornbeam (Ostrya), walnut (Juglans), and willow (Salix). In North Carolina, we have recorded larvae feeding on Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra), Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), and Box-elder (Acer negundo), but the species probably uses many other hosts in our state. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S4S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments: The early flight dates probably mean that the species is undersampled in our state.

 Photo Gallery for Alsophila pometaria - Fall Cankerworm Moth

 150 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-13
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-12
Alamance Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2025-04-12
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-27
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-03-15
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-03-04
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-02-17
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-02-02
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2025-01-30
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2025-01-29
Orange Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-01-18
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-12-31
Durham Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-12-30
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Chuck Smith on 2024-12-19
Davidson Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: John Petranka on 2024-04-15
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-04-10
Durham Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-04-10
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik on 2024-04-06
Durham Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-04-04
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-04-04
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Chuck Smith on 2024-02-03
Davidson Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-02-01
Durham Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-01-31
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-01-25
Orange Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-01-24
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-01-15
Wake Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-01-09
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-01-04
Durham Co.
Comment:
Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: Stephen Dunn on 2023-04-12
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Alsophila pometariaRecorded by: David George on 2023-04-11
Durham Co.
Comment: