Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

9 July 2004   (date of moth capture)  (top left)
5 July 2005   (date of moth capture)  (top right)
9 July 2004   (date of moth capture)  (bottom)
The photos at top left and bottom are of the same specimen.

Trichordestra legitima is one of four species of Trichordestra recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers. comm., 2001), two of which are illustrated on this website.

Trichordestra legitima has a gray forewing, the upper (costal) half of which is heavily shaded with reddish brown.  The double, slightly scalloped antemedial and postmedial lines are mainly filled with the ground color.  The orbicular spot is light gray, sometimes with some reddish brown in the filling.  The blackish claviform spot forms a sharp wedge shape extending outward from the am line.  The reniform spot has a pale outline surrounding reddish brown filling, with blackish filling in the lower end.  The area between the pm line and the red-brown edged subterminal line forms a prominent band of light gray, shaded with dark reddish brown at the costal end.  The terminal area is shaded with darker gray or reddish brown, except for a pale gray patch at the apex.  The terminal line is rust-colored.  The hindwing is yellowish, with gray-brown shading along the outer margin before a yellowish fringe.  Covell (1984) indicates a wingspan of 2.9 to 3.5 cm for this species.

According to Handfield (1999), the larva of Trichordestra legitima, also known as the Striped Garden Caterpillar, has been reported to feed on a wide variety of plant species, including asparagus, various milkweeds, winter bentgrass, blackberry, members of the cabbage family, clover, peas, willow, goldenrod, grasses, tobacco and a number of other plants. For my general area, he indicates an adult flight season from about the end of May into early August.

My records to date for Trichordestra legitima (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: