Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

25 August 2005   7:58PM EST  (top left)
16 August 2003   7:32PM EST  (top right)
1 August 2004   11:50PM EST  (center left)
20 August 2005   8:04PM EST  (center right)
31 July 2005   8:49PM EST  (bottom)

Lacinipolia olivacea, sometimes called the Olive Arches moth, is one of seven species of Lacinipolia that have been recorded from the Ottawa area (J.D. Lafontaine, pers. comm., 2001), of which six are illustrated on this website.

Lacinipolia olivacea has a gray forewing tinged with olive green.  The antemedial and postmedial lines are double, with filling that is often pale enough that the lines have moderate contrast against the darker median, which is often shaded with black.  The antemedial and subterminal areas are lighter gray, lightly brushed with pink in the lower half of the wing. The white-rimmed reniform spot, filled with greenish gray, is a much more prominent feature than the orbicular spot, which has a darker filling and a more obscure outline against the dark median. A row of white dots is sometimes evident along the outer margin just inside the streaked fringe.  There is a moderate amount of variability in the extent to which the wing appears green rather than gray, and the pink color is most evident in fresh specimens.  The hindwing is whitish with some gray shading along the outer margin, increasing toward the apex.  Covell (1984) indicates a wingspan from 2.4 to 2.5 cm for this species.

According to Handfield (1999), the larvae of Lacinipolia olivacea have been reported to feed on a variety of plants, including dandelion, phlox, plantain, achillea and clover. He indicates an adult flight season from about the beginning of July into early September for my general area.

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