Denver-Boulder Metro Area: Butterflies and Moths
This guide contains butterflies and moths that can be found in the Denver-Boulder Metro Area, including Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.
Clio Tiger Moth
Ectypia bivittata, the Clio Moth or Clio Tiger Moth, is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Clemens in 1861. It is found in California and from south-western to western Nebraska and Texas. It is also found in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. The habitat consists of lowland areas, where it is found along creeks and rivers and in agricultural ...more ↓
Blue-green lichen moth
Pygoctenucha terminalis, the Blue-green Lichen Moth, is a moth in the Arctiidae family. It was described by Walker in 1854. It is found in Mexico and in eastern Colorado, New Mexico and south-eastern Arizona.
Ingens Tussock Moth
Lophocampa ingens is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in the Southern Rocky Mountains (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah).
Spotted Tussock Moth
The Spotted Tussock Moth, Mottled Tiger or Spotted Halisidota (Lophocampa maculata) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found across southern Canada, the western parts of the United States, south in Appalachians to South Carolina and Kentucky.
Lophocampa significans
Lophocampa significans is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by H. Edwards in 1888. It is found in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming.
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 ↓
Crambidia impura
Crambidia impura is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Barnes and McDunnough in 1913. There are two disjunct populations. It has been recorded from southern Rocky Mountain states, the Yukon and northern British Columbia and Alberta. The habitat consists of stabilized sand dunes dominated by open jack pine forests.
Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth
The Scarlet-winged Lichen Moth or Scarlet Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia miniata) is a species of moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found from British Columbia south through the western side of the Rocky Mountains to Arizona and Texas. It is also found throughout eastern North America.
Grote's lycomorpha moth
Lycomorpha grotei, Grote's Lycomorpha Moth, is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Packard in 1864. It is found in North America, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth
Lycomorpha pholus, the Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth, is a moth in the Arctiidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia to North Carolina, west to South Dakota and Texas. The habitat consists of short-grass prairie.
Barnes' Lichen Moth
Cisthene barnesii is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Dyar in 1904. It is found in the Rocky Mountain region, from southern Montana and western North Dakota to the border with Mexico in Arizona and New Mexico. The habitat consists of dry bunchgrass steppe.
Powdered Footman
Bruceia pulverina is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Neumögen in 1893. It is found from southern British Columbia and north-western Idaho, south through the Rocky Mountain states to the Mexico border and from southern Arizona to western Texas.
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.
Douglas-fir tussock moth
The Douglas-fir tussock moth (Orgyia pseudotsugata) is a moth of the Lymantriidae family found in western North America. Its population periodically irrupts in cyclical outbreaks. The caterpillars feed on the needles of Douglas fir, true fir, and spruce in summer, and moths are on the wing from July or August to November.
Dark Marathyssa Moth
Marathyssa inficita, the dark marathyssa, is a species of owlet moths, etc. in the family Euteliidae. It is found in North America.
Common Gluphisia Moth
Gluphisia crenata, the dusky marbled brown, is a moth of the family Notodontidae. It is found in Europe, east over parts of Russia and China up to Japan. It is also found in North America, where it was traditionally treated as a separate species, Gluphisia septentrionis.
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 ↓
Unicorn Prominent
The Unicorn Caterpillar Moth, Unicorn Prominent or Variegated Prominent (Schizura unicornis) is a species of moth of the Notodontidae family. It is found in all of North America, except the arctic north.
Sigmoid Prominent
The sigmoid prominent (Clostera albosigma) is a moth of the Notodontidae family. 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.
Brother Moth
The Brother (Raphia frater) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia west, across the forested regions of Canada to British Columbia, south to Mississippi in the east. The southern limits in the west are uncertain due to confusion with several closely related species or forms.
Florida Fern Moth
The Florida Fern Moth or Florida Fern Caterpillar (Callopistria floridensis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from North America (including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, New Brunswick, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas)., south through the Caribbean (including ...more ↓
Dingy Cutworm Moth
The Dingy cutworm (Feltia jaculifera), also known as the Bent-line dart, is a member of the Noctuidae family 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.
Variegated Cutworm Moth
Peridroma saucia, the pearly underwing or variegated cutworm, is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The variegated cutworm feeds on many plants, especially common fruits and vegetables. The moth undergoes 2–4 generations per year. The development of the moth slows in colder temperatures, ...more ↓
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 ↓
Euxoa bochus
Euxoa bochus is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the western North America, from Vancouver Island, south to southern Utah and northern New Mexico, east to central Colorado, Wyoming and the Cypress Hills area of south-western Saskatchewan. It is also present in Manitoba and British Columbia.
Army Cutworm Moth
The army cutworm (Euxoa auxiliaris) is a species of moth. Its nickname "miller moth" comes from the fine scales on its wings that rub off easily and remind people of the dusty flour that covers the clothing of a miller.
White-striped Dart
Euxoa albipennis is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from coast to coast in southern Canada and the northern parts of the United States, ranging southward in the west to New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Euxoa basalis
Euxoa basalis is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northern Territories in Canada, south to Colorado, Arizona and California. It is abundant in the Rocky Mountain region.
Coastal Heathland Cutworm Moth
Abagrotis nefascia is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Alberta and British Columbia down through Massachusetts to California. The species is listed as threatened in Connecticut.
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.
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 ↓
Civil Rustic Moth
Caradrina montana is a small moth of the family Noctuoidea. It is common to western North America as well as western Asia and Europe. It feeds on alfalfa leaves.
American Ear Moth
The American Ear Moth (Amphipoea americana) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from coast to coast in the northern United States and southern Canada, it is also present in the Northwest Territories, south in the west to California, south in the east to Georgia
Bordered Apamea Moth
Apamea sordens, the rustic shoulder-knot or bordered apamea, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe, East across the Palearctic to Central Asia and to China and Japan. It also occurs in North America (Labrador to Virginia, west across Canada, south to Minnesota).
Yellow-headed Cutworm Moth
The Yellow-Headed Cutworm (Apamea amputatrix) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in most of North America, north to the Arctic.
Glassy Cutworm Moth
Apamea devastator, the glassy cutworm, is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in northeastern North America, including Nova Scotia, Alberta, New York, Ohio, and Massachusetts.
Festive Midget
The festive midget (Elaphria festivoides) is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in eastern North America.
Bryolymnia semifascia
The Half-banded Bryolymnia (Bryolymnia semifascia) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from northern Colorado and southern Utah southward to south-eastern Arizona and south-central New Mexico.
White-Speck
The White-Speck (Mythimna unipuncta) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found North America, the Hawaiian Islands, in some areas of South America, southern Europe, North Africa, the Sahel region of Africa, Central Asia and Bangladesh to the East and East Africa.
Lasionycta impingens
Lasionycta impingens is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It occurs from southern Yukon to Colorado.
Laudable Arches
Lacinipolia laudabilis, the Laudable Arches Moth, is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. It is also found in Mexico and Costa Rica. It has been recorded from Great ...more ↓
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.
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.
Collared Arches Moth
Lacinipolia strigicollis, the collared arches moth, is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.
Bronzed Cutworm Moth
The Bronzed Cutworm or Shaded Umber Moth (Nephelodes minians) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in most of North America, except Florida and adjacent states.
Small Ranunculus
The Small Ranunculus (Hecatera dysodea) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Europe, primarily in Central Europe and Southern Europe and from Algeria and Morocco up to Turkestan. It is an introduced species in North America, where it was first found in Utah in 1998 and Oregon in 2005.
Wheat Head Armyworm
The Wheat Head Armyworm (Dargida diffusa) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in most of Eastern North America, except Yukon and Alaska.
Zebra Caterpillar Moth
The zebra caterpillar is the larva of an American noctuid moth (Melanchra picta or Ceramica picta) that feeds on cabbages, beets and other cultivated plants.
Homoglaea carbonaria
Homoglaea carbonaria is a species of cutworm or dart moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.
Andropolia theodori
Andropolia theodori is a moth in the Noctuidae family. It is found in the eastern parts of North America, from British Columbia, south to California.
Narrow-winged Midget Moth
Tarache augustipennis, the narrow-winged midget, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from Manitoba to south-western British Columbia, south to Arizona and east to Texas.
Cabbage Looper Moth
The cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) is a moth in the family Noctuidae, a family commonly referred to as owlet moths. Its common name comes from its preferred host plants and distinctive crawling behavior. Cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, bok choy, and broccoli, are its main host plant; hence, the reference to cabbage in its common name. The larvae is called a looper ...more ↓
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.
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.
MacCulloch's Forester Moth
Androloma maccullochii, or Macculloch's forester, is a species of owlet moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.
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.
Ridings' Forester
Ridings' Forester or the Mountain Forester (Alypia ridingsii) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found as far east as the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. It is also found in Arizona, Utah, all of California and northward into Oregon, Idaho, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska
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.
Interrupted Dagger
The interrupted dagger moth (Acronicta interrupta) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found across southern Canada south of the Boreal forest, from New Brunswick west to eastern Alberta, south to Georgia, Nebraska and Arizona.
American Dagger
The American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is native to North America.
Acronicta cyanescens
Acronicta cyanescens is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Western North America, from extreme south-western Alberta west, and south to New Mexico.
Vulpina Dagger
The vulpina dagger moth or miller dagger moth (Acronicta vulpina) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from New York and Newfoundland west to central British Columbia, south to Colorado.
Yellow-haired Dagger
The yellow-haired dagger moth (Acronicta impleta) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in most of North America.
Henry's Marsh Moth
The cattail caterpillar (when referring to the larva) or Henry's marsh moth (when referring to the adult) (Acronicta insularis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from coast to coast throughout the United States and southern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba).
Lupine Dagger
The Lupine Dagger (Acronicta lupini, formerly Merolonche lupini) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon in Canada, south to California.
American Copper Underwing
The Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides) is a moth in the Noctuidae family. It is found in the US and southern Canada.
Asteroid Moth
Cucullia asteroides, known generally as the goldenrod hooded owlet or asteroid moth, is a species of owlet moth in the family Noctuidae. It is found in North America.
Darker-spotted Straw Moth
Heliothis phloxiphaga is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the United States and southern Canada.
Paradoxical Grass Moth
The Paradoxical Grass Moth (Heliocheilus paradoxus) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Ontario and British Columbia, south to at least California, Arizona, Texas and Florida.
Arcigera Flower Moth
The Arcigera Flower Moth (Schinia arcigera) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Arizona and Idaho, north to Saskatchewan.
Chrysellus Flower Moth
Schinia chrysella is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found on the Great Plains (Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) and California and Kentucky.
Schinia citrinellus
Schinia citrinella is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and northern Mexico.
Silver-banded Gem Moth
Schinia cumatilis, or the silver-banded gem, is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from the Southwestern United States into Southern Canada.
Schinia errans
Schinia errans is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, including Arizona.
Clouded Crimson Moth
The Clouded Crimson (Schinia gaurae) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Illinois west across southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, south to Florida, Texas, Arizona and south into Mexico.
Boneset Flower Moth
The Rockies Boneset Flower Moth (Schinia grandimedia) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Kansas to Texas, west to Colorado and New Mexico.
Hulst's Flower Moth
Hulst's Flower Moth (Schinia hulstia) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found on the Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas, in the south ranging eastward to Arkansas and westward to California.
Jaguar Flower Moth
The Jaguar Flower Moth (Schinia jaguarina) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found on the Great Plains from Saskatchewan and Alberta south to Texas, eastward on coast to Florida and westward in south to Arizona. In Mexico it is found down to Mexico City.
Gaillardia Moth
The Blanket Flower Moth (Schinia masoni) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, including Colorado and Wyoming.
Mead's Flower Moth
Schinia meadi, Mead's flower moth, is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in from south central Saskatchewan and central Alberta west to south central Washington, south to Arizona and New Mexico.
Schinia mortua
Schinia mortua is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in most of the western half of North America.
Schinia reniformis
Schinia reniformis is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America including Oklahoma and Utah.
Schinia sexplagiata
Schinia sexplagiata is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in western North America, east up to west Texas.
Schinia simplex
Schinia simplex is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the western Great Plains from North Dakota to New Mexico.
Schinia snowi
Schinia snowi is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, including Colorado, Texas, Kansas and Wyoming.
Schinia suetus
Schinia sueta is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is widespread in the mountains of western North America, from southern Alberta west to British Columbia, south at least to Colorado and California, east to Idaho and New Mexico.
Schinia tertia
Schinia tertia is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in the western parts of the United States from Minnesota and Illinois to Texas, west to California, north to Idaho.
Golden Aster Flower Moth
Schinia tuberculum is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from New York to Florida, west to Oklahoma and Texas.
Little Dark Gem
The Little Dark Gem (Schinia villosa) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is mostly a western mountain species, however it has also been found across the plains eastward across Alberta and Saskatchewan to southern Manitoba. West it is found up to the coast ranges of Washington and British Columbia, south to Arizona.
Painted Schinia Moth
The Painted Schinia Moth (Schinia volupia) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, including Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
White-spotted Midget
The White-spotted Midget (Eutricopis nexilis) is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Nova Scotia and New England west across southern Canada to southern Vancouver Island, north to Yukon and south in the mountains to California and Colorado.
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 that causes massive economic costs. Since it is polyphagous (can feed on many different plants) during the larval stage, this species has been given many different common ...more ↓
