Mesogona olivata facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mesogona olivata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Mesogona
Species:	M. olivata
Binomial name
Mesogona olivata (Harvey, 1874)
Synonyms
Glaea olivata Harvey, 1874 Choephora blanda Grote, 1876a Pseudoglaea blanda Grote, 1876b Pseudoglaea taedata Grote, 1876b Cerastis olivata Grote, 1878 Pseudoglaea decepta Grote, 1881 Metalepsis blanda Dyar, 1903 Metalepsis taedata Dyar, 1903 Metalepsis decepta Dyar, 1903 Mythimna blanda Hampson, 1903 Mythimna taedata Hampson, 1903 Mythimna decepta Hampson, 1903 Spectraglaea olivata Hampson, 1906 Mythimna olivata Barnes & McDunnough, 1917 Pseudoglaea olivata McDunnough, 1927

The Mesogona olivata is a type of moth that belongs to a large family called Noctuidae. These moths are often called "owlet moths" because many of them fly at night.

About the Mesogona olivata Moth

Where it Lives

This moth can be found in North America. It lives in places like southern British Columbia in Canada. From there, it spreads south through states in the USA such as California, Colorado, and Texas. It might even live in northern Mexico.

Size and When it Flies

The Mesogona olivata moth has a wingspan of about 36 millimeters. That's about 1.4 inches, which is roughly the length of a paperclip. You can usually see the adult moths flying around from August to November. This means they are active in late summer and autumn.

What it Eats

The young moths, called larvae (or caterpillars), eat leaves from different kinds of trees and shrubs. They like to munch on plants such as poplar, oak, hazel, amelanchier, and alder. They also feed on antelope brush, Symphoricarpos (which are often called snowberry or coralberry), and Berberis (barberry). Scientists have even seen them eating from specific trees like Quercus garryana (Garry oak), Ceanothus velutinus (snowbrush ceanothus), and Quercus agrifolia (California live oak).