Moths and Butterflies of Massachusetts

Corn Earworm Moth

Helicoverpa zea, commonly known as the corn earworm, is a species (formerly in the genus Heliothis) in the family Noctuidae. The larva of the moth Helicoverpa zea is a major agricultural pest. Since it is polyphagous (feeds on many different plants) during the larval stage, the species has been given many different common names, including the cotton ...more ↓

Green Cloverworm Moth

The Green Cloverworm or Black Snout (Hypena scabra) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Canada south to Florida and Texas. It has also been reported from Great Britain.

Maple Looper Moth

The Maple Looper Moth (Parallelia bistriaris) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in eastern North America.

Yellow-striped Armyworm Moth

Spodoptera ornithogalli (yellow-striped armyworm, cotton cutworm) is a moth of the family Noctuidae found in Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, Saint Kitts, Dominica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica. In North America, it is found from California to Florida plus the eastern states, west to Kansas, and in south-eastern Canada from Nova Scotia to ...more ↓

Virginia Ctenucha Moth

Ctenucha virginica, the Virginia ctenucha, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The wingspan ranges from 40–50 millimetres (1.6–2.0 in). The wing color varies from black to olive-brown. The body is a metallic blue-green. The head is yellow-orange, with feathery antennae. The caterpillar (about 20–25 mm) has multiple tufts of white and yellow hair. It undergoes metamorphosis ...more ↓

Glossy Black Idia Moth

The Glossy Black Idia (Idia lubricalis) is a species of litter moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Canada south to Florida and Texas.

American Copper Underwing

The Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides) is a moth in the Noctuidae family. It is found in the US and southern Canada.

Dingy Cutworm Moth

The dingy cutworm (Feltia jaculifera), also known as the Bent-line dart, is a member of the family Noctuidae and is common throughout North America. There are three other species of Feltia that are often confused for F. jaculifera and they are F. herilis, F. subgothica and F. tricosa.

Yellow-collared Scape Moth

Cisseps fulvicollis, the yellow-collared scape moth, is a species of the Erebidae family, Arctiinae subfamily. It was described by Hübner in 1818.

Comstock's Sallow

Comstock's sallow (Feralia comstocki) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from the southern Appalachians north to the Maritime Provinces, east across the southern boreal forest to Vancouver Island, south to Oregon. In Alberta, the species has been collected from the Lake Athabasca and Zama areas south to about Pigeon Lake.

Painted Lichen Moth

Hypoprepia fucosa (painted lichen moth) is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the United States and southern Canada east of the Rocky Mountains.

Witch Hazel Dagger

Acronicta hamamelis (witch hazel dagger moth) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Canada (Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario) and parts of the United States, including Maryland.

Sigmoid Prominent

Clostera albosigma, the sigmoid prominent, is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found from Newfoundland west to Vancouver Island, north to the Great Slave Lake and the Northwest Territories and south to at least Missouri.

Banded Tussock Moth

Halysidota tessellaris, also called the banded tussock moth, tessellated halisidota, and pale tiger moth, is in Erebidae. Like many related species, 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 adults. Larval brazen behaviours suggest that they are chemically ...more ↓

Sweetfern Underwing Moth

Catocala antinympha, the sweetfern underwing, is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Quebec and Ontario east to Nova Scotia and south to Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

White-speck Moth

Mythimna unipuncta or true armyworm moth is a nocturnal agricultural pest belonging to the Noctuidae family. This moth is also commonly referred to by the scientific name Pseudaletia unipuncta, white-speck moth or common armyworm. Mythimna unipuncta is found in the Americas and in parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. They are known ...more ↓

Datana

Datana is a genus of moths of the Notodontidae family.

Yellow-necked Caterpillar Moth

Datana ministra, the yellownecked caterpillar, is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found in southern Canada and the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, in the south-west it ranges to California.

Spongy Moth

Lymantria dispar, the gypsy moth, are moths in the family Erebidae. Lymantria dispar covers many subspecies, subspecies identification such as L. d. dispar or L. d. japonica leaves no ambiguity in identification. Lymantria dispar subspecies have a range which covers in Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and South America.

Cherry Dagger

The forked dagger moth, speared dagger moth, cherry dagger moth or dart dagger moth (Acronicta hasta) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the eastern deciduous woodlands, ranging west across southern Saskatchewan and Alberta into central southern British Columbia, south to Tennessee, Wisconsin and Kansas.

Sweet Pepperbush Nola Moth

Nola clethrae, the sweet pepperbush nola moth, is a species of nolid moth in the family Nolidae. It is found in North America.

Clover Looper Moth

The Clover Looper or Range Grass Moth (Caenurgina crassiuscula) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from coast to coast in the United States and adjacent parts of Canada, in the west to the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Alaska.

Faint-spotted Palthis Moth

The faint-spotted palthis moth (Palthis asopialis) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found in North America, from Florida north to Ontario and west to Texas.

Cloaked Marvel

Chytonix palliatricula, the Cloaked Marvel Moth, is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. The range extends west into the Great Plains to Nebraska and Oklahoma in the south and Alberta and British Columbia in the north. It is also found in Mexico, Guatemala and Panama.

Apical Prominent

Clostera apicalis, known generally as the apical prominent or red-marked tentmaker, is a species of prominent moth in the family Notodontidae. It is found in North America.

Celery Looper Moth

The Celery Looper (Anagrapha falcifera) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Newfoundland, Labrador and Southern Canada to Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Arizona, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

Isabella Tiger Moth

Pyrrharctia isabella, the isabella tiger moth or woollybear, occurs in the United States and southern Canada. It was first described by James Edward Smith in 1797.

Grapevine Epimenis Moth

The Grapevine Epimenis (Psychomorpha epimenis) is a North American moth in the family Noctuidae.

Virginian Tiger Moth

Spilosoma virginica is a species of moth in the Arctiinae subfamily. As a caterpillar, it is known as the yellow woolly bear or yellow bear caterpillar. As an adult, it is known as the Virginia tiger moth.

Agreeable Tiger Moth

The agreeable tiger moth (Spilosoma congrua) is one of three species of white tiger moth which are common in the United States. It has pronounced black eyes, white abdomen, and orange "bib" which set it apart from its cousin the Virginia tiger moth. Like its cousin, it tents its wings when at rest.

Black Witch

The erebid moth Ascalapha odorata, commonly known as the black witch moth, is a large bat-shaped, dark-colored nocturnal moth, found from Brazil until the southern United States. It is the largest noctuid found in the continental United States. In the folklore of many cultures in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is associated with death or misfortune.

Rusty Tussock Moth

Orgyia antiqua, the rusty tussock moth or vapourer, is a moth in the family Erebidae.

Giant Leopard Moth

The giant leopard moth or eyed tiger moth (Hypercompe scribonia) is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is distributed throughout the Americas from southern Ontario, and southern and eastern United States through New England, Mexico and down to Panama. The obsolete name Ecpantheria scribonia is still occasionally encountered.

Pointed Sallow

Epiglaea apiata, the Pointed Sallow Moth or Cranberry blossom worm, is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Brunswick, North Carolina, Ohio, Quebec, South Carolina and Wisconsin.

Common Hyppa Moth

Hyppa xylinoides, known generally as the common hyppa or cranberry cutworm, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

Spotted Tussock Moth

Lophocampa maculata (spotted tussock moth, mottled tiger or spotted halisidota) is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found across Canada, the western parts of the United States, south in Appalachians to South Carolina and Kentucky.

Bristly Cutworm Moth

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

The white-marked tussock moth (Orgyia leucostigma) is a moth in the family Erebidae. The caterpillar is very common especially in late summer in eastern North America, extending as far west as Texas, Colorado, and Alberta. Also found in Europe and Taiwan.

Unspotted Looper Moth

The Unspotted Looper Moth or Copper Looper Moth (Allagrapha aerea) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in eastern North America from southern Ontario to the panhandle of Florida and west to western Nebraska.

Little White Lichen Moth

Clemensia albata, the little white lichen moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Packard in 1864. It is found in eastern North America, west across boreal Canada to south-eastern British Columbia. The range extends along the Pacific Coast south to Monterey Bay in west-central California. The habitat consists of moist forests, including coastal ...more ↓

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.

Olive Arches Moth

Lacinipolia olivacea, the olive arch, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

Milkweed Tussock Moth

Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tussock caterpillar or milkweed tiger moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. 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 deter ...more ↓

Smith's Dart

Xestia smithii, or Smith's dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Pieter Cornelius Tobias Snellen in 1896. It is found across northern North America from Newfoundland to Alaska. In the eastern United States it occurs from Maine to Virginia and south along the Appalachians to North Carolina. In the west it is found in the Black Hills in ...more ↓

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.

Baltimore Snout

The Baltimore Bomolocha or Baltimore Hypena (Hypena baltimoralis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the Eastern part of the United States, west and south to Wisconsin, Missouri and Florida and Texas.

White-dotted Prominent

The rough prominent (Nadata gibbosa) is a moth of the family Notodontidae, possibly in the subfamily Notodontidae. It is also known as the white-dotted prominent and the tawny prominent. This common moth is found across North America from the northern boreal forests to as far south as Florida. It is most common in deciduous forests at some elevation. It is ...more ↓

Hickory Tussock Moth

Lophocampa caryae, the hickory tussock moth or hickory halisidota, is a moth in the family Erebidae, widely distributed in the eastern half of North America. Like most species in its family, the caterpillars acquire chemical defenses from their host plants, so they are potentially toxic or unpalatable, but this species is also venomous. The behaviour and aposematic ...more ↓

Renia

Renia is a genus of litter moths of the Erebidae family....

Indigo Stem Borer Moth

Papaipema baptisiae, known generally as the indigo stem borer or wild indigo borer moth, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

Darling Underwing

Catocala cara, the darling underwing, is an Erebidae species. The species can be found in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains; it occurs west at least to Oklahoma and north at least to Illinois. It also ranges into southern Canada, but only barely so.

Eyed Paectes Moth

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Leconte's Haploa Moth

Haploa lecontei (Leconte's haploa) is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found Nova Scotia to Georgia, west to Manitoba through Arkansas.

Beautiful Wood-nymph

Eudryas grata is a moth known as the beautiful wood nymph. The caterpillars are known to feed on the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).

Lunate Zale Moth

The Lunate Zale (Zale lunata) is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the East of North America. The wingspan is 40–55 mm. The moth flies from March to September depending on the location. The larvae feed on various deciduous trees, such as Maple, Willow and Prunus.

Eight-spotted Forester Moth

The Eight-Spotted Forester (Alypia octomaculata) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the Eastern part of the United States, Texas and Florida. It is also present in parts of Canada.

Salt Marsh Moth

Estigmene acrea (salt marsh moth or acrea moth) is a moth in the family Arctiidae. It is found in North America, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Colombia and Mexico.

Alfalfa Looper

The alfalfa looper (Autographa californica) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Southern British Columbia to Baja California and to Manitoba, South Dakota, Colorado and New Mexico.

Black-rimmed Prominent

The Black-rimmed Prominent Moth, Fissured Prominent or False-sphinx (Pheosia rimosa) is a species of moth of the Notodontidae family. It is found from coast to coast in North America, although it is less common in the south-eastern United States.

Brown-hooded Owlet

The Brown-hooded Owlet or Brown-bordered Cucullia (Cucullia convexipennis) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the north-eastern parts of the United States and adjacent parts of Canada.

Definite Tussock Moth

The definite tussock moth or definite-marked tussock moth (Orgyia definita) is a moth of the family Erebidae found from Minnesota to New Brunswick and south to South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Turbulent Phosphila Moth

Phosphila turbulenta, the turbulent phosphila, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

Sharp Angle Shades

Conservula anodonta, the sharp angle shade, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

American Angle Shades

Euplexia benesimilis, the American angle shade, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

Olive Angle Shades

Phlogophora iris, the olive angle shade, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.

Brown Angle Shades

The brown angle shades (Phlogophora periculosa) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from coast to coast in the northern United States and southern Canada, south in the east to Georgia and Mississippi, south in the west to California (it is not present in Florida and the south-central states).

Clymene Moth

Haploa clymene (clymene moth) is a moth of the tiger moth family - Arctiidae, subfamily Arctiinae. It is found in eastern North America.

Ipsilon Dart Moth

Agrotis ipsilon, the dark sword-grass, black cutworm, greasy cutworm, or floodplain cutworm is a small noctuid moth found worldwide. The moth gets its scientific name from black markings on its forewings shaped like a letter "Y" and resembles the Greek letter epsilon. The larvae are known as "cutworms" because they cut plants and other crops. The ...more ↓

Sycamore Tussock Moth

Halysidota harrisii (sycamore tussock moth) is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in South-Eastern Canada, the Eastern parts of the United States (but not Florida) and North-Eastern Mexico. The wingspan is about 50 mm. The moth flies from May to June and from July to August depending on the location.

Common Oak Moth

The Common Oak Moth (Phoberia atomaris) is a species of moth in the Erebidae family. The species is found in North America, from Quebec and Ontario south to Florida, and west to Kansas and Texas.

American Dun-bar Moth

The American Dun-bar Moth (Cosmia calami) is a moth in the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, including California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.

Forage Looper Moth

The Forage Looper or Common Grass Moth (Caenurgina erechtea) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from coast to coast in the United States and adjacent parts of Canada. It is not found in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories.

Speckled Renia Moth

Renia adspergillus, the gray renia or speckled renia moth, is a litter moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc in 1800. It is found in North America from Michigan to Quebec and south to Louisiana and Florida.

Fall Webworm Moth

The fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) is a moth in the family Erebidae known principally for its larval stage, which creates the characteristic webbed nests on the tree limbs of a wide variety of hardwoods in the late summer and fall. It is mainly an aesthetic pest and is not believed to harm otherwise healthy trees. It is well known to commercial tree services and ...more ↓

American Idia Moth

The American Idia or American Snout (Idia americalis) is a species of litter moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from southern Canada to Florida and Texas.

Common Idia Moth

The Common Idia, Powdered Snout, or Waved Tabby (Idia aemula) is a litter moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Canada south to Florida and Texas and in most of Eurasia.

Bilobed Looper Moth

Stephens' gem or the bilobed looper (Megalographa biloba) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is widely distributed from the southern parts of the United States, south through Central America and South America up to Argentina. As a seasonal migrant it occurs even farther north into the northern parts of the United States and southern Canada. Here it usually produces one ...more ↓

Mouse Moth

The mouse moth (Amphipyra tragopoginis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a widespread species with a Holarctic distribution.

Dark-spotted Palthis Moth

The Dark-spotted Palthis (Palthis angulalis) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Newfoundland west to coastal British Columbia, south to Florida and Texas.

Ilia Underwing

Catocala ilia, the Ilia underwing, beloved underwing or wife underwing, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species can be found in the eastern part of the United States as well as southern Canada. Subspecies Catocala ilia zoe can be found in California and Arizona.

Mourning Underwing

The mournful underwing (Catocala flebilis) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Massachusetts and Connecticut south to North Carolina and Georgia, west to Arkansas and north to Michigan and Illinois and into southern Ontario.

Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth

Lycomorpha pholus, the black-and-yellow lichen moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It is found in North America from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to South Dakota and Texas. The habitat consists of short-grass prairie.

Morbid Owlet

Chytolita morbidalis, the Morbid Owlet Moth or Morbid Owlet, is a species of litter moth in the Erebidae family. It is found in large part of North America, from coast to coast in the north and south to North Carolina, Texas and Florida in the west. The habitat consists of deciduous woods and edges.

Smeared Dagger

Acronicta oblinita, the smeared dagger moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west across Canada to British Columbia, north to Lake Athabasca and south to Florida and Texas.

Dimorphic Snout

The Dimorphic Bomolocha, Dimorphic Hypena or Toothed Snout-Moth (Hypena bijugalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia across southern Canada to Vancouver Island, south to over the whole United States to Florida.

White Underwing

The White Underwing or The Relict (Catocala relicta) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found in southern Canada, from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, south to Missouri, and Arizona.

Confused Haploa Moth

Haploa confusa (confused haploa) is a moth of the family Erebidae that occurs in North America. The caterpillars feed on a Hound's tongue (Cynoglossum officinale).

Fall Armyworm Moth

The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a species the order of Lepidoptera and is the larval life stage of a fall armyworm moth. It is regarded as a pest and can damage and destroy a wide variety of crops, causing large economic damage. Its scientific name derives from frugiperda, which is Latin for lost fruit, named because of the species' ability to destroy ...more ↓

Dejected Underwing

Catocala dejecta, the dejected underwing, is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Massachusetts and Connecticut south through New Jersey to Florida, west to Texas and Oklahoma and north to southern Ontario.

Ultronia Underwing

The Dark Red Underwing or Ultronia Underwing (Catocala ultronia) is a moth of the Erebidae 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.