Freeze-avoiding
Guides
Epiblema scudderiana
goldenrod gall moth
Epiblema scudderiana, commonly known as the goldenrod gall moth, is a tortricid moth whose larvae form elliptical galls on goldenrod stems. The species is freeze-avoiding, surviving winter through deep supercooling of body fluids and accumulation of glycerol as a cryoprotectant. Larvae overwinter in diapause within silk-lined galls, exhibiting dramatic metabolic suppression and epigenetic regulation of gene expression during cold stress. This moth has been extensively studied as a model for insect cold hardiness physiology, contrasting with the freeze-tolerant strategy of the sympatric gall fly Eurosta solidaginis.