Explanation of Names
LIGNICOLORA: from the Latin "lignum" (wood) + "color" (a covering [in the original sense], from celare to cover, hide)
Identification
Adult: forewing yellowish with reddish-brown shading; AM and PM lines obscure; PM line bends sharply; ST line forms a "W" at its middle, dividing black terminal shading into two large patches
hindwing grayish-brown
[description by Charles Covell]
Range
Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to California, north to British Columbia
Season
adults fly from late May or June to August
Food
larvae feed on quack grass and other grasses
See Also
Airy Apamea (
A. vultuosa) has no ST line - just a color contrast between terminal and subterminal areas; Common Apamea (
A. vulgaris) has similar markings but a uniformly dull brown forewing (
compare images of all three species)
Confused Woodgrain (
Morrisonia confusa) is also similar but has two black basal dashes and several dark streaks on forewing (see
pinned image); it also flies earlier [April, May] than Wood-colored Apamea
Internet References
live adult image plus description, food plants, flight season (Lynn Scott, Ontario)
pinned adult image (John Glaser, Maryland)
pinned adult image of subspecies
atriclava (California Dept. of Food and Agriculture)
common name reference plus food plants and flight season (Ohio State U.)
presence in California; list (U. of California at Berkeley)
