Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Biston Members: 257 NC Records

Biston betularia (Linnaeus, 1758) - Peppered Moth

Biston betulariaBiston betulariaBiston betulariaBiston betularia
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Bistonini		P3 Number:
91a1060		 MONA Number:
6640.00		 Other Common Names:
Pepper & Salt Geometer, Pepper-and-salt Geometer, Cleft-headed Looper
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.
Biston betulariaAlamance 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.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Habitats include barrens, woodlands, and forests (Wagner, 2005). Our records come from upland habitats, including hardwood forests and woodlands, Spruce-Fir forests, and heathlands.
Larval Host Plants: Polyphagaous, larvae feed on a wide range of families of hardwood trees and shrubs. Wagner et al. (2001) specifically list maple (Acer), alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), Pecan (Carya illinoinensis), New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus), hackberry (Celtis), Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), walnut (Juglans), larch (Larix), apple (Malus), oak (Quercus), poplar (Populus), cherry (Prunus), gooseberry (Ribes), Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), rose (Rosa), willow (Salix), mountain-ash (Sorbus), elm (Ulmus), and blueberry (Vaccinium). In North Carolina, larvae have been observed feeding on Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and maple. - 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 [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 Biston betularia - Peppered Moth

 76 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin. on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-10
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-25
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2025-06-23
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-05-07
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Emily Stanley on 2025-04-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-04-10
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-08-15
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-09
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-06
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Mark Basinger on 2024-08-06
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-08-06
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-04
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-01
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: John Petranka on 2024-07-10
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-26
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-25
McDowell Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-06-25
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-06-25
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2024-06-25
Watauga Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: John Petranka, Chuck Smith on 2024-06-20
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-06-19
Madison Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-05-27
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-16
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Biston betularia
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-05-01
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Biston betularia
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2024-04-18
Transylvania Co.
Comment: