---
title: "Alfalfa Looper"
description: "Autographa californica — Insekten & Spinnen. Autographa californica, the alfalfa looper, is a moth of the family Noctuidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/de/animal/alfalfa-looper
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Alfalfa Looper

> Autographa californica — Insekten & Spinnen. Autographa californica, the alfalfa looper, is a moth of the family Noctuidae.

- Scientific name: *Autographa californica*
- Category: `insects` (Insekten & Spinnen)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Wiese & Feld)
- iNaturalist observations: 10192
- Wikidata: [Q4826309](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4826309)
- iNaturalist taxon: [121823](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/121823)

## Names

- en: Alfalfa Looper

## Countries with the most observations

US (3227), CA (2401), MX (7)

## Summary

Autographa californica, the alfalfa looper, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Adolph Speyer in 1875. It is found in western North America from southern British Columbia to Baja California and to Manitoba, South Dakota, Colorado and New Mexico.

The wingspan is 36–42 mm. The moth flies from July to October depending on the location.
The larvae feed on a wide range of plants. Recorded food plants include species of families Apiaceae, Aquifoliaceae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Ericaceae, Eschscholzia, Fabaceae, Grossulariaceae…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autographa_californica

## Photo

![Alfalfa Looper](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/alfalfa-looper/medium.jpg)

Photo: Adam Bailey · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186940320

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/alfalfa-looper?lang=de` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).