Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFErebidae Members: Scoliopteryx Members: 33 NC Records

Scoliopteryx libatrix (Linnaeus, 1758) - Herald Moth

Scoliopteryx libatrixScoliopteryx libatrixScoliopteryx libatrix
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Erebidae		Subfamily:
Scoliopteryginae		Tribe:
Scoliopterygini		P3 Number:
930601		 MONA Number:
8555.00		 Other Common Name:
The Herald
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.
Scoliopteryx libatrixAlamance 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: Our records come almost entirely from sites where willow-containing wetlands are present.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae feed mainly on willows (Salix), but also on poplars (Populus) and birches (Betula) to some extent (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for Shoreline Shrublands
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 Scoliopteryx libatrix - Herald Moth

Photos: 6
Scoliopteryx libatrixRecorded by: David George on 2025-06-25
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Scoliopteryx libatrixRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-04-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Scoliopteryx libatrixRecorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2021-10-01
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Scoliopteryx libatrixRecorded by: Darryl Willis on 2020-05-23
Cabarrus Co.
Comment:
Scoliopteryx libatrixRecorded by: Lenny Lampel on 2017-07-22
Mecklenburg Co.
Comment: 		Scoliopteryx libatrixRecorded by: Patrick Coin, Steve Hall on 1992-09-19
Orange Co.
Comment: