Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Cyclophora Members: 203 NC Records

Cyclophora pendulinaria (Guenée, [1858]) - Sweetfern Geometer

Cyclophora pendulinariaCyclophora pendulinariaCyclophora pendulinaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Sterrhinae		Tribe:
Cosymbiini		P3 Number:
91a0024		 MONA Number:
7139.00		 Other Common Names:
Sweetfern Mocha, Pearly-gray Wave
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Structural photos
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.
Cyclophora pendulinariaAlamance 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: Sandy barrens, woodlands, and forests (Wagner et al.,2001).
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on a wide range of hardwood trees and shrubs, with a preference for alder (Alnus), bayberry (Morella), birch (Betula), blueberry (Vaccinium), Sweet-gale (Myrica gale), huckleberry (Gaylussacia), and Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) (Wagner et al., 2001). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - 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:

 Photo Gallery for Cyclophora pendulinaria - Sweetfern Geometer

Photos: 22
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Marilyn Westphal, Nora Murdock on 2025-08-25
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-16
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Kevin Bischof on 2024-08-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik on 2024-08-05
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Owen McConnell and Simpson Eason on 2024-06-21
Graham Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-04-20
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-04-02
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2023-08-23
Madison Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: David George, L. M. Carlson on 2022-06-20
Caswell Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2021-09-14
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-05-08
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2020-07-15
Madison Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2019-06-04
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Julie Tuttle on 2019-06-03
Chatham Co.
Comment:
Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-06-01
Stokes Co.
Comment: 		Cyclophora pendulinaria
Recorded by: Doug Blatny/Jackie Nelson on 2012-08-24
Ashe Co.
Comment: