Moths and Butterflies of North Carolina
Vetch Looper Moth
The Vetch Looper Moth (Caenurgia chloropha) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the south-eastern United States, northern Mexico and Cuba. Strays may be found as far north as southern Ontario.
Tersa Sphinx
The Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from the United States (Massachusetts south to southern Florida, west to Nebraska, New Mexico and southern Arizona), through Mexico, the West Indies and Central America and into parts of South America (including Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil). An occasional stray can be found as far ...more ↓
Silver-spotted Skipper
The Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is claimed to be the most recognized skipper in North America.
Edwards' hairstreak
Edwards' Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii) is a species of butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found in the eastern parts of the United States and in the southern parts of the Canadian provinces from Saskatchewan to Quebec.
Callosamia securifera
The Sweetbay Silkmoth (Callosamia securifera) is a saturniid in the genus Callosamia. It was named after the host tree, Magnolia virginiana.
Regal Moth
The regal moth (Citheronia regalis), also called the royal walnut moth, is a North American moth in the saturniidae family. The caterpillars are called hickory horned devils. The adult (Imago) has a wingspan of 3.75-6.1 in (9.5-15.5 cm).
Imperial Moth
The Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) is a Nearctic member of the family Saturniidae and subfamily Ceratocampinae.
bristly cutworm
The Kidney-spotted Minor or Bristly Cutworm (Lacinipolia renigera) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is endemic to most of North America with the exception of Yukon and Alaska.
White-marked Tussock Moth
Orgyia leucostigma, the White-marked tussock moth, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae. The caterpillar is very common especially in late summer in eastern North America, as far west as Texas, Colorado, and Alberta.
Spotted grass moth
The Spotted Grass Moth or Yellow Snout-moth (Rivula propinqualis) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found throughout eastern North America from southern Canada southward to Florida and Texas and westward in the north to British Columbia and Washington. In North Carolina it is found from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic coast.
milkweed tussock moth
Euchaetes egle, the Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar or Milkweed Tiger Moth, is a moth in the family Arctiidae. It is a common mid- through late-summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides (Weller et al., 1999). These are retained in adults and ...more ↓
Large Lace Border
The Large Lace-border (Scopula limboundata) is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. There is a single and unconfirmed record from Great Britain
pale beauty
The Pale Beauty (Campaea perlata) is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. The average wingspan is about 28–51 mm, and the female tends to be much larger than the male.
Large Yellow Underwing
The Large Yellow Underwing (Noctua pronuba) is a moth, the type species for the family Noctuidae. It is an abundant species throughout the Palearctic ecozone, one of the most common and most familiar moths of the region. In some years the species is highly migratory with large numbers appearing suddenly in marginal parts of the range.
harvester
The Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius) is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae, and the only member of its genus. It is found in North America.
Diana Fritillary
The Diana Fritillary (Speyeria diana) is a dimorphic butterfly found in several wooded areas in southern and eastern North America (primarily in the Arkansas River valley, several counties in South Carolina, and spots along the Appalachian mountain range). Males of the species exhibit an orange color on the edges of their wings, with a burnt orange underwing which does ...more ↓
eastern tent caterpillar
The eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae, the snout moths. It is univoltine, producing one generation per year. It is a tent caterpillar, a social species that forms communal nests in the branches of trees. It is sometimes confused with the gypsy moth and the fall webworm, and may be erroneously referred to as a ...more ↓
Enyo lugubris
The Mournful sphinx (Enyo lugubris) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Argentina and Paraguay to Uruguay, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and the West Indies through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to Mexico and the United States, where it has been recorded from Arizona east ...more ↓
Waved Sphinx Moth
The Waved Sphinx (Ceratomia undulosa) is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found in the United States, and southern Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains.
Hickory Tussock Moth
Lophocampa caryae, the hickory tussock moth or hickory halisidota, is a moth in the family Arctiidae. Like most species in its family, the caterpillars acquire chemical defenses from their host plants. The behaviour and aposematic coloration of the larvae also suggests chemical protection in this stage, although they have not been analyzed for alkaloid or ...more ↓
Io Moth
The Io Moth (Automeris io) is a very colorful North American moth in the Saturniidae family. It ranges from the southeast corner of Manitoba and in the southern extremes of Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick in Canada, and in the US it is found from Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, east of those states and down to the ...more ↓
Hummingbird Clearwing
Hemaris thysbe, commonly known as the Hummingbird Clearwing, is a moth of the Sphingidae family. Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish brown border. It has light colored legs, which combined with its lack of striping ...more ↓
Summer Azure
The Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in North America. Layberry, Hall, and Lafontaine, in The Butterflies of Canada, describe the species:
Celastrina neglectamajor
The Appalachian Azure, Celastrina neglectamajor, is a butterfly in the gossamer wings family Lycaenidae. The male is light blue on the upperwing with a narrow, dark line running along the edge of the forewing. The underwing is chalky white and is dotted with small, pale dark spots. The very back of the hindwing has a row of dark spots running along the edge and contained by a ...more ↓
Zebra Swallowtail
The Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus, formerly listed under genera Eurytides, Iphiclides, Graphium and Papilio by some authorities) is a swallowtail butterfly native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada. Its distinctive wing shape and long tails make it easy to identify, and its black and white-striped pattern is reminiscent of ...more ↓
Tulip-tree Beauty
The Tulip-tree beauty (Epimecis hortaria) is a species of Ennominae found in North America. It is found throughout New England south to Florida and west to Texas and Missouri. They can be seen flying from late March to early October. Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to lights. The immature caterpillars can be found feeding on Magnolia, Asimina, ...more ↓
Walnut Sphinx Moth
The Walnut Sphinx (Amorpha juglandis) is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is native to North America, where it is distributed from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States.
Boxwood Leaftier Moth
The Boxwood Leaftier Moth or Boxwood Webworm (Galasa nigrinodis) is moth of the Pyralidae family. It is found in eastern North America.
Leconte's Haploa
Leconte's Haploa (Haploa lecontei) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found Nova Scotia to Georgia, west to Manitoba through Arkansas.
Southern Flannel Moth
The moth Megalopyge opercularis has numerous common names, including southern flannel moth, pussy moth, puss caterpillar, tree asp, and, asp caterpillar. It is visually striking in both larval and adult forms. The inch-long larva is generously coated in long, luxuriant hair-like setae, making it resemble a tiny Persian cat, the characteristic ...more ↓
Juniper Hairstreak
The Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus) is a butterfly native to North America. It belongs in the family Lycaenidae.
Beautiful Wood-nymph Moth
Eudryas grata is a moth known as the beautiful wood nymph. The caterpillars are known to feed on the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
Arched Hooktip
The Arched Hooktip or Masked Birch Caterpillar (Drepana arcuata) is a moth of the Drepanidae family. It is found from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, south to at least North Carolina, South Carolina and California.
Elm Sphinx Moth
The Elm sphinx, (Ceratomia amyntor), sometimes called the Four-horned Sphinx, is a North American species of moth in the Sphingidae family. It has a wingspan of 3¼ - 4½ inches (8.2 - 11.5 cm). As the name suggests, the larvae (caterpillars) feed on elm trees (Ulmus), but they can also be found feeding on birch (Betula), basswood (Tilia), and cherry ...more ↓
Neonympha mitchellii
Neonympha mitchellii is an endangered species of nymphalid butterfly of the eastern United States. There are two known subspecies:
Ailanthus Webworm Moth
The Ailanthus webworm, Atteva aurea, is an ermine moth now found commonly in the United States. It was formerly known under the scientific name Atteva punctella (see Taxonomy section).
Hemaris gracilis
The Slender Clearwing or Graceful Clearwing (Hemaris gracilis) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia to central Florida along the East Coast and west through New England to Michigan to Saskatchewan.
laurel sphinx
The Laurel Sphinx (Sphinx kalmiae) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found in the temperate parts of the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains, in the north it occurs west of the Rocky Mountains.
Virginia Creeper Sphinx Moth
The Virginia creeper sphinx (Darapsa myron) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It lives from Maine south to south Florida; west to North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas. It also can be found in Mexico.
Tomato Hornworm
The five-spotted hawkmoth (Manduca quinquemaculata) is a brown and gray hawk moth of the Sphingidae family. The caterpillar, often referred to as the tomato hornworm, can be a major pest in gardens. Tomato hornworms are closely related to (and sometimes confused with) the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). This confusion arises because caterpillars of both species ...more ↓
Unexpected Cycnia Moth
Cycnia inopinatus, the Unexpected Cycnia, is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by H. Edwards in 1882. It is found in the United States (Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode ...more ↓
Pink-spotted Hawkmoth
The Pink-spotted Hawkmoth or Sweetpotato Hornworm (Agrius cingulata syn. A. cingulatus) is a species of moth in the Sphingidae family.
painted lichen moth
The Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa) is a species of moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in the United States and southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains.
Witch Hazel Dagger Moth
The Witch Hazel Dagger Moth (Acronicta hamamelis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Canada (Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario) and parts of the United States, including Maryland.
pine tree sphinx
The Northern Pine Sphinx (Lapara bobycoides) is a member of the Sphingidae family of moths. It is known from mixed and coniferous forest in southern Canada (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) as well as north-eastern Alberta and central Saskatchewan. In the eastern half of the United States it is found from extreme north-eastern North ...more ↓
Banded tussock moth
Halysidota tessellaris, the banded tussock moth, tessellated halisidota, or pale tiger moth, is a moth in the family Arctiidae. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, alkaloids (Weller et al., 1999, Hristov and Conner 2005), at least in the adult. The brazen behaviour of the larvae also ...more ↓
Owlet Moths, Tiger Moths, Tussock Moths and Allies
The Erebidae are a family of moths, most of which were formerly classified in the family Noctuidae, plus all of the former members of the families Arctiidae and Lymantriidae. This re-classification has not yet met with general consensus, and many resources and publications still follow the older classification scheme (e.g.).
Buck Moth
The Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia) is a common insect found in oak forests, stretching in the United States from the south east to the north east and as far west as Texas and Kansas. The larvae typically emerge in a single generation in the spring. The larvae are covered in hollow spines that are attached to a poison sac. The poison can cause symptoms ranging from itching and ...more ↓
White Checkered-skipper
The White Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus albescens) is a species of skipper (family Hesperiidae). It is found on low altitudes in southern California, southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, west and south Texas, Florida and Mexico. A rare stray to southwest Utah and central Texas.
Red-banded Hairstreak
The Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) is a butterfly native to the southeastern United States. It feeds on fallen leaves of sumac species and other trees. Its size ranges from 0.9–1.25 inches (23–32 mm). It lives near coastal areas and edges.
Southern Pearly-eye
The Southern Pearly Eye, Portland Pearlyeye or just Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia) is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found from eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas east through the south-eastern United States.
Achemon Sphinx
The Achemon sphinx (Eumorpha achemon) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is native to North America, where it is known from most of the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. It is rare or absent in the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin, and Southeastern United States except Florida.
Eastern Tailed-Blue
The Eastern Tailed-blue or Eastern Tailed Blue (Cupido comyntas), also known as Everes comyntas, is a common butterfly of eastern North America. Males are generally blue on the upperside of their wings while females are lighter blue to brown or charcoal in coloring, but there are also varieties of purple and pink found in both sexes. The underside coloration ranges ...more ↓
Litter Moths
Herminiinae is one of the smaller subfamilies of the moth family Noctuidae. They are sometimes treated as a separate family, Herminiidae.
Crambinae
Crambinae is a large subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. It currently includes over 1,800 species worldwide. The larvae are root feeders or stem borers, mostly on grasses. A few species are pests of sod grasses, maize, sugar cane, rice, and other Poaceae. The monophyly of this group is supported by the structure of the tympanal organs and the ...more ↓
Larentiinae
Larentiinae moths contain roughly 5,800 species and occur mostly in the temperate regions of the world. They are generally considered a subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae) and divided into a few large or good-sized tribes, and numerous very small or even monotypic ones which might not always be valid. Well-known members are the "pug moths" of the Eupitheciini and the ...more ↓
Ennominae
Ennominae is the largest subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae) with some 9,700 described species in 1,100 genera. They are usually fairly small moth species, though some (such as the Peppered Moth) grow considerably larger. This subfamily has a global distribution. It includes some species that are notorious defoliating pests.
Suzuki's Promalactis Moth
Suzuki's Promolactis Moth (Promalactis suzukiella) is a moth of the Oecophoridae family. It is native to Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but is an introduced species in the United States, where it has been recorded from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Leafrollers
The Tortricinae are the nominate subfamily of tortrix moths. Commonly referred to as leafrollers, as the larvae build shelters by folding or rolling leaves of the food plant, the tortricinae include several notable pests as well species used as biological control agents against invasive weeds.
Clymene Moth
The Clymene Moth (Haploa clymene) is a moth of the Tiger Moth family - Arctiidae, subfamily Arctiinae. It is found in the East of North America.
Pepper and Salt Skipper
The Pepper-and-salt Skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia and Maine, west to southern Manitoba, south to Georgia, northern Florida and south-eastern Texas. It is mostly absent from the coastal plain.
Wavy-lined Emerald
The Wavy-lined Emerald Moth or Camouflaged Looper (Synchlora aerata) is a species of moth of the Geometridae family. It is found in most of North America.
Orange-spotted Pyrausta
The Orange Mint Moth or Orange-spotted Pyrausta (Pyrausta orphisalis) is a species of moth of the Crambidae family. It is found from Newfoundland west to British Columbia, south to Florida and New Mexico.
Rustic Sphinx
The Rustic Sphinx (Manduca rustica) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found in the southern parts of the United States (straying into the northern United States at times), southward through Mexico, Central America and South America to Uruguay.
Speckled Renia Moth
The Gray Renia (Renia adspergillus) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Michigan to Quebec and south to Louisiana and Florida.
Rheumaptera prunivorata
Ferguson's scallop shell or cherry scallop shell (Rheumaptera prunivorata) is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario in Canada, through the eastern parts of the United States, down to Georgia.
Great Ash Sphinx
The Great Ash Sphinx or Northern Ash Sphinx (Sphinx chersis) is a moth that belongs to the family Sphingidae.
Cobweb Skipper
The Cobweb Skipper (Hesperia metea) is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It has a scattered distribution from southern Maine west to Wisconsin, south to central Georgia, the Gulf States and central Texas.
Henry's Elfin
Henry's Elfin (Callophrys henrici), sometimes called the Woodland Elfin, is a North American butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. In Canada it is found from southern Manitoba to southern Nova Scotia. It has two main groups of populations in the USA: the first is found along the Atlantic Coast and uses various hollies (Ilex) as host plants; and the second is found ...more ↓
Depressariinae
The Depressariinae – sometimes spelled "Depressiinae" in error – are a subfamily of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. Like their relatives therein, their exact relationships are not yet very well resolved. It has been considered part of family Elachistidae sensu lato or treated as distinct gelechioid family Depressariidae, but more recently they are assumed to ...more ↓
American Idia
The American Idia or American Snout (Idia americalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from southern Canada to Florida and Texas.
Common Idia
The Common Idia, Powdered Snout or Waved Tabby (Idia aemula) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Canada south to Florida and Texas and in most of Eurasia.
White M Hairstreak
The White M Hairstreak, Parrhasius m-album, is a species of butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Connecticut west to southeast Iowa and Missouri south to east Texas the Gulf Coast, and peninsular Florida. On rare occasions some stray to Michigan and Wisconsin.
Golden-banded Skipper
The Golden Banded-Skipper (Autochton cellus) is a North and Central American butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. There are two populations, one in the eastern United States and the other in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The eastern population is rare and local and uses only one host plant, Hog Peanut (Amphicarpa bracteata). The southwestern population ...more ↓
Banded Sphinx
The Banded Sphinx Moth (Eumorpha fasciatus) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found from northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, north through Central America (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) to southern California and southern Arizona, east to Texas, Mississippi, Florida and South ...more ↓
azalea sphinx moth
The Azalea Sphinx (Darapsa choerilus) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It is found in the United States and southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains.
Dark-spotted Palthis
The Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Newfoundland west to coastal British Columbia, south to Florida and Texas.
Southern Dogface
The Southern Dogface, Colias cesonia, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae (until recently the species was sometimes placed in the related genus Colias instead of Zerenia).
Bee moth
The bee moth (Aphomia sociella) is a small moth of the family Pyralidae. It is native to Europe, but may be found synanthropically outside its original range.
Abbott's Sphinx
Abbott's sphinx (Sphecodina abbottii) is a moth of the Sphingidae family. It lives in eastern North America.
White Slant-line
The White Slant-line or White Slaut (Tetracis cachexiata) is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found from Nova Scotia to central British Columbia, south to northern Florida and west to Montana and northern Colorado.
Ultronia Underwing
The Dark Red Underwing or Ultronia Underwing (Catocala ultronia) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in most of eastern North America, south to Florida and Texas. It ranges west across the southern parts of Canada to extreme southeast British Columbia.
Early Fan-foot
The Early Zanclognatha (Zanclognatha cruralis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Wisconsin east through southern Canada, south to Florida and Texas.
Zanclognatha atrilineella
Zanclognatha atrilineella is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the south-eastern parts of the United States.
