black wattle vs Clover Hayworm Moth

Acacia plectocarpa compared with Hypsopygia costalis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	black wattle	Clover Hayworm Moth
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Fabaceae	Pyralidae
Genus	Acacia	Hypsopygia
Species	Acacia plectocarpa	Hypsopygia costalis

Conservation Status

black wattle

LC — Least Concern

Clover Hayworm Moth

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	black wattle	Clover Hayworm Moth
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

black wattle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Clover Hayworm Moth

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

black wattle

The black wattle (Acacia plectocarpa) is a species in the genus Acacia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Clover Hayworm Moth

The clover hayworm moth (Hypsopygia costalis) is a pyralid moth in the family Pyralidae, subfamily Hypsopygia, order Lepidoptera. The common name hayworm moth reflects the larval habit of feeding on dry plant material, including stored hay, dried plant debris, leaf litter, and decaying organic matter — a diet unusual among moths, most of which feed on living plant tissue. Larvae of H. costalis inhabit accumulated plant detritus such as thatch, stored grass clippings, compost, and dry stacks of hay or straw, earning the species its association with agricultural storage environments. Adults are small, brightly colored moths with distinctive red, yellow, and ochre wing markings that make them more visible than many pyralids, potentially functioning as aposematic coloration or mimicry. The species is distributed across Europe, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, extending to North America. It inhabits a variety of habitats wherever decaying plant material accumulates, including agricultural settings, gardens, woodland edges, and semi-natural grasslands. H. costalis is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with populations considered stable and the species not subject to significant threats. The species has one generation per year in most of its range, with adults flying from late spring through summer. Larvae overwinter in plant debris. H. costalis rarely causes significant economic damage despite its association with stored plant material.