Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Apamea Members: 32 NC Records

Apamea helva (Grote, 1875) - Yellow Three-Spot Moth

Apamea helvaApamea helva
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Apameini		P3 Number:
932322		 MONA Number:
9373.00
Comments: A Holarctic genus of about 140 species, with 63 recorded in North America, mostly from boreal or montane habitats (Mikkola et al., 2009). Seventeen species occur in North Carolina with the majority of records coming from the mountains.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Agroperina helva); 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.
Apamea helvaAlamance 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 are all from the Mountains. Habitats include high elevation forests, cove forests, mountain bogs, and alluvial forests.
Larval Host Plants: Larvae in Iowa were found in sod grasses (Crumb, 1956). We do not have any feeding records in North Carolina. - View
Wikipedia
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 Apamea helva - Yellow Three-Spot Moth

Photos: 5
Apamea helvaRecorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Apamea helvaRecorded by: tom ward on 2023-09-06
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Apamea helvaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-08-31
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Apamea helvaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2018-08-31
Madison Co.
Comment:
Apamea helvaRecorded by: Jackie Nelson / Doug Blatny on 2013-09-09
Ashe Co.
Comment: