# Garden Tortrix

*Clepsis peritana*

Unlike many leafroller moths that feed exclusively on live foliage, its caterpillars readily consume dead, decaying plant leaves on the soil surface.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Tortricidae › Clepsis
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Woodland edges, orchards, agricultural fields, gardens, and suburban parks.
- **Diet:** Larvae feed on decaying leaf litter, fallen fruit, strawberries, ornamental plants, and various broadleaf weeds; adults take flower nectar or water.
- **Range:** United States, Canada, Mexico
- **Size:** Wingspan 10–15 mm
- **Lifespan:** 2–4 weeks
- **Active:** nocturnal
- **Threats:** Pesticide application in managed orchards and gardens.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to humans. It does not bite, sting, or carry venom, though handling may cause minor skin irritation in sensitive individuals. No medical action is needed.

## About

Clepsis peritana , the garden tortrix or strawberry garden tortrix , is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is found in Spain, Cuba, as well as North America, where it has been recorded from southern Canada throughout the United States.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/65b601e5-4b1b-4551-9089-40c37f876a78
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/132789
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clepsis_peritana
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2512881/medium.jpg (Katja Schulz, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.