Moths of North Carolina
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
 Family (Alpha):
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View PDFNoctuidae Members:
Acronicta Members:
60 NC Records

Acronicta betulae Riley, 1884 - Birch Dagger

Taxonomy
Superfamily: Noctuoidea Family: NoctuidaeSubfamily: AcronictinaeP3 Number: 931429.00 MONA Number: 9208.00
Comments: One of 74 species in this genus found in North America north of Mexico (Schmidt and Anweiler, 2020), 42 of which have been recorded in North Carolina. Betulae is a member of Species Group II of Forbes (1954), which includes 17 additional species in North Carolina.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Photographs: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIFTechnical Description, Adults: Forbes (1954); Schmidt and Anweiler (2020)                                                                                 
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.
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Almost all of our records come from floodplains or their vicinity where River Birch is present. One record from an upland site in the Mountains is associated with a planted stand of River Birch.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are monophagous on River Birch (Wagner et al., 2011)
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Wet Hardwood Forests
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: GNR 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 Acronicta betulae - Birch Dagger

33 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: John Petranka on 2022-09-03
Orange Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2022-08-28
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2022-08-24
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George, Becky Watkins on 2022-08-16
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2022-06-29
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2022-05-04
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2022-05-04
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David George on 2022-04-22
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: David George on 2022-04-22
Durham Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-04-22
Madison Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-07-14
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-07-06
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Steve Hall on 2021-06-07
Moore Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-05-15
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-05-13
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2021-04-27
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-04-20
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-04-18
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2021-04-14
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-04-13
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Dean Furbish on 2021-04-12
Wake Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Steve Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2021-04-07
Moore Co.
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Recorded by: Robert Gilson on 2020-03-20
Iredell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Shields on 2019-08-30
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Darryl Willis on 2019-08-15
Cabarrus Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Gary Maness on 2019-07-09
Guilford Co.
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Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2019-05-28
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: David L. Heavner on 2019-05-01
Buncombe Co.
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Recorded by: Paul Scharf on 2016-04-20
Warren Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: B. Bockhahn, P. Scharf, L. Amos on 2015-05-12
Warren Co.
Comment: