An adult orange swift has a short lifespan since it does not have working mouthparts, only the caterpillars feed. The moth is active from mid-summer to early fall and is often found in gardens, woodlands, and grassy areas. It is a night flier and is attracted to bright lights.

The wingspan is 3.5 - 4 cm for males and 4.5 - 6 cm for females. The colour of the forewings varies from pale tan to blackened.

Sthenopis argenteomaculatus, the silver-spotted ghost moth, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Thaddeus William Harris in 1841, and is known in North America from Nova Scotia to Virginia and west to Minnesota. The wingspan is about 65–100 mm. The forewings are gray to tan, crossed by irregular dark bands. Adults are on wing from June to August. Food plants for this species include Alnus, Betula, and Salix. They bore in roots of their host plant that are partially submerged in water. The life cycle takes two years.

Sthenopis purpurascens, the four-spotted ghost moth, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It was described by Packard in 1863. It is found in Canada and the United States, from Labrador and New York north and west to British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, south in the mountains to Arizona. The wingspan is 66–100 mm. There are two color forms, a purple-grey and a yellow-brown form. The latter was previously thought to be a separate species, Sthenopis quadriguttatus. The forewings have a darker oblique median band, a darker terminal area and darker spots along the costa. There are two small, silver spots near the wing base. The hindwings are purple brown or salmon pink and generally unmarked. The larvae feed on Populus, Salix and Alnus species. They bore into the roots of their host plant. The larvae have a cream-white body and brown head and reach a length of 50–60 cm. They need two years to complete their lifecycle

Endoclita excrescens is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from Japan and the Russian Far East. Food plants for this species include Castanea, Nicotiana, Paulownia, Quercus, and Raphanus. The species is considered a pest of the tobacco plant.

The species is found in tropical Africa.

The wingspan is about 4 cm for males and 4 - 6 cm for females.