About Chionodes fondella (Busck, 1906)
Chionodes fondella is a species of moth belonging to the family Gelechiidae. It is distributed across North America, with confirmed recorded populations ranging from Nova Scotia to southern Manitoba, and also found in Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. This moth has a wingspan that measures 13 to 14 mm. Its forewings are whitish ochreous in color; every individual scale has a darker tip, and the wings carry a faint roseate tinge. Two large, prominent black spots sit on the costal edge of the forewing: the first is located at the basal third, angled obliquely outward, and the second is located at the apical third, angled obliquely inward. Both spots extend to the middle of the wing. The very tip of the wing is dusted with black scaling. The hindwings are a light ochreous fuscous shade. The larvae of Chionodes fondella feed on species in the genera Antennaria, Anaphilis, and Gnaphalium, as well as on the plant species Monarda fistulosa.
