Small White Grass-veneer
Crambus albellus
When at rest, this moth rolls its wings tightly around its body, mimicking a dry fleck of grass or a tiny twig to hide from hungry birds.
- Scientific name
- Crambus albellus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Crambidae › Crambus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Grassy meadows, lawns, pastures, and roadsides.
- Diet
- Larvae feed on various grasses and mosses; adults feed on flower nectar and dew.
- Range
- United States, Canada
- Size
- Wingspan of 15 to 24 mm
- Lifespan
- 1 year (mostly spent as a larva; adults live for 1 to 2 weeks)
- Active
- crepuscular
- Threats
- Overuse of lawn pesticides, frequent mowing of wild meadows, and habitat fragmentation.
- Safe to approach?
- This species is completely harmless to humans. They do not bite, sting, or carry toxins. If you encounter one in a lawn or meadow, you can safely observe it from inches away. They are easily startled and fly in short, rapid zig-zag patterns close to the ground.
Crambus albellus , the small white grass-veneer , is a moth in the Crambidae family. It was first described by James Brackenridge Clemens in 1860. It is found in North America, where sightings have been recorded from Quebec and Ontario to North Carolina and Tennessee, west to Illinois and Wisconsin.
Photo: Nick Block, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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