Popular Dagger Moth – Acronicta leporine
Popular Dagger Moth: Acronicta leporine
Common Name: Popular Dagger Moth
Latin Name: Acronicta leporine
Appearance:
A Popular Dagger Moth’s length is usually between 1.2 and 2 inches (3 to 5 cm). It looks different because its wings are mostly greyish-white with black spots on them. The species gets its name from the black spots on its wings, which can be light or dark and have different patterns. Often, the spots form dagger-like shapes.
Host Plants:
The caterpillars of the Popular Dagger Moth eat a wide range of deciduous trees and shrubs, such as willow, cherry, popular (hence the common name), and other woody plants.
Territory:
The Popular Dagger Moth can be found in various parts of North America, including the United States and Canada.
Damages caused by Popular Dagger Moth:
People sometimes think of the Popular Dagger Moth caterpillars as a pest because of the way they eat. If there are a lot of them, they can kill host plants, which could be a problem for people who grow or work in forests. But they aren’t usually thought of as a significant farming pest.
Life History and Habits:
- Eggs:The female Popular Dagger Moth lays round, small eggs on the leaves of plants that it feeds on. It takes about a week or two for these eggs to hatch.
- Larva:Caterpillars are usually green with spots of yellow or white colour on their sides. They look a little fuzzy because they have small setae that look like hairs. As they grow, they moult several times and eat the leaves of host plants.
- Pupa:When the caterpillar is fully grown, it pupates somewhere safe, usually on the ground or in leaf litter. The pupa is inside a cocoon made of silk.
- Adult Moth:The adult Popular Dagger Moth comes out of the cocoon after a period of pupation, which can last a short time or a long time based on the conditions of the environment. Moth adults only come out at night and are drawn to lights. It is thought that they only live for a few weeks on average and do not eat.