Macromoths of Northwest Forests and Woodlands

Egira simplex [Noctuidae]

Wingspan 3.6 cm. Forewing is pale gray with a very large orbicular spot and a continuous line of black postmedian dashes; hindwing is white with a large black discal spot. This noctuid is abundant and widely distributed in western North America. Moths fly in early spring. Caterpillars feed on the foliage of cherry (Prunus), currant (Ribes), and willow (Salix).

Similar species: Egira crucialis forewing with a small orbicular spot and a broken line of black postmedian dashes, abundant in wet conifer forests west of the Cascade Mountains but more restricted to riparian forests east of the Cascade Mountains, caterpillars feed on alder (Alnus), snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), oak (Quercus), and spiraea (Spiraea).

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