National Moth Week is July 20-28, 2024!
Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.
Common Mestra
Mestra amymone (Ménétriés, 1857)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Biblidinae
Identification: Upperside is gray-white to light brown; hindwing has a median row of white spots and an orange marginal band. Underside is pale orange with white markings.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 1 15/16 inches (3.5 - 5 cm).
Life History: Adults fly slowly and stay near the hostplants.
Flight: Throughout the year in South Texas, although it is most numerous from June-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Noseburn (Tragia neptifolia) in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae).
Adult Food: Have been seen at Lantana flowers.
Habitat: Subtropical forest edges, roadsides, weedy fields.
Range: Costa Rica north through Central America to Mexico and South Texas. Strays north to South Dakota and Minnesota.
Conservation: Conserve woodland and brushland along the lower Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 288 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/unknownbutterfly_b.jpg?itok=tpV08ETL)
Observation date: Jul 23, 2024
Submitted by: asombro_institute
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 24, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/mestra090423.jpg?itok=n7F_9tUr)
Observation date: Sep 04, 2023
Submitted by: joeschelling
Region: Quay County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 20, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/common_mestra_5.jpg?itok=cxrTlzxY)
Observation date: Apr 05, 2024
Submitted by: rkw9000
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 03, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/366a2291.jpg?itok=Sk6mU9bj)
Observation date: Jan 28, 2024
Submitted by: guy_incognito
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 02, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_4962_6.jpg?itok=ZXdZq4lO)
Observation date: Feb 24, 2023
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 23, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20230702_092535.jpg?itok=oT2ZrhlO)
Observation date: Jul 02, 2023
Submitted by: abwest
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 02, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/lower_aduana_mestra_amymone2019mar09.jpg?itok=XZTgL1ym)
Observation date: Mar 09, 2019
Submitted by: David F Smith
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 12, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/common_mestra_4.jpg?itok=0hLVz71a)
Observation date: Oct 26, 2022
Submitted by: cjgoin
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 27, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_2272_1.jpg?itok=CkYuV8PI)
Observation date: Dec 17, 2016
Submitted by: Mariposa 25
Region: Estelí, Nicaragua
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 20, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/mestra_amymone_3_common_mestra.jpg?itok=M6CqrGgY)
Observation date: Mar 31, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/6._unbekannter_gelb-weisser_schmetterling1.jpg?itok=lTltD6cx)
Observation date: Jul 11, 2015
Submitted by: rundm
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 10, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/imgp5770.jpg?itok=YukLOroI)
Observation date: Jul 29, 2022
Submitted by: Reneerob17
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/mestra.jpg?itok=_oyUopUK)
Observation date: Apr 25, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 20, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p1330328_2.jpg?itok=hQDwGgyC)
Observation date: Sep 16, 2021
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Eddy County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 13, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p1180390_0.jpg?itok=Qq417W_K)
Observation date: Oct 23, 2021
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Nov 17, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_6040g_0.jpg?itok=aS25BXhT)
Observation date: Jan 02, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_64677_common_mesta_10_29_20.jpg?itok=6vi5N2s-)
Observation date: Oct 29, 2020
Submitted by: gpstewart
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 01, 2021
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/hondo_common_mestra2.jpg?itok=89LRJ0Jx)
Observation date: Nov 26, 2020
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Texas, Medina County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 29, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/mestra_common2.jpg?itok=yr7jl_gz)
Observation date: Oct 11, 2020
Submitted by: Medina Molly
Region: Bandera County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 08, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_1123-edit.jpg?itok=PcNgJEDB)
Observation date: Oct 06, 2020
Submitted by: Nancy Witthuhn
Region: Ness County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 08, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_62814_common_mesrtra_08_08_20-2.jpg?itok=tOSEv8hk)
Observation date: Aug 08, 2020
Submitted by: gpstewart
Region: Texas, Uvalde County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 12, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/common_mestra_3.jpg?itok=uqKbZ0j8)
Observation date: Sep 16, 2010
Submitted by: Jonathan Batkin
Region: Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jan 19, 2020
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/mestra-amymone.jpg?itok=dLzzwG1F)
Observation date: Dec 02, 2018
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 07, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0315_3.jpg?itok=2fAKWl9p)
Observation date: Feb 28, 2019
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 03, 2019
- 1 of 12
- next ›