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.
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.
Forage Looper Moth
The Forage Looper or Common Grass Moth (Caenurgina erechtea) is a moth of the Noctuidae 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.
Aholibah Underwing Moth
The Aholibah underwing (Catocala aholibah) is a moth of the "owlet" family Erebidae, which has over 25,000 known members, and more than that yet undescribed. Like other moths of the underwing genus (Catocala), this species has dull gray and black speckled forewings which help it blend into its surroundings, and bright orange underwings that it reveals to startle ...more ↓
Sweetheart Underwing
Catocala amatrix, the sweetheart underwing, is a moth of the Erebidae family. The species can be found from Nova Scotia, south through Connecticut to Florida and west through Texas and Oklahoma to Arizona and north to Montana, Minnesota, and Ontario.
Western Underwing Moth
Catocala californica is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from British Columbia and Alberta south through Washington and Oregon to California.
Grote's Underwing Moth
Grote’s Underwing (Catocala grotiana) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Arizona, north through Utah into Colorado. It has also been spotted in Washington and in the western United States north and east of California.
Joined Underwing Moth
The Joined Underwing or Stretch's Underwing (Catocala junctura) is an Erebidae species. It is found throughout temperate North America. The species ranges from New York and Pennsylvania west to Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona and into Texas, and north to southern Illinois, extreme southern Alberta and Saskatchewan; it has also been recorded west of the Rocky ...more ↓
Little Underwing
The Little Underwing (Catocala minuta) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from New York to Florida and west to Texas and north to South Dakota, Indiana and Michigan.
Semirelict Underwing Moth
Catocala semirelicta, the semirelict underwing, is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Nevada, Colorado, Utah, California, and Nova Scotia south to Maine, west across Canada to British Columbia, and southward in the mountains.
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.
Shadowy Arches
Drasteria adumbrata, the Shadowy Arches, is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from coast to coast in southern Canada, south in the west to California and Colorado, south in the east to New England and Michigan. Subspecies alleni is found from eastern Alberta to New York and Nova Scotia. Subspecies saxea occurs from southern British Columbia and ...more ↓
Drasteria howlandii
Drasteria howlandii is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from British Columbia and Saskatchewan south through the western parts of the United States from Washington south to Arizona and Texas.
Northern Arches
The Northern Arches (Drasteria hudsonica) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Alaska and Yukon to California, east to New Mexico and Manitoba.
Inept Graphic
The Inept Drasteria (Drasteria inepta) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Arizona to Texas, north to Colorado and Utah.
Paler Graphic
The Cowhead Arches (Drasteria pallescens) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from Alberta and Saskatchewan south to Texas and Baja California.
Merry Graphic Moth
Melipotis jucunda, the Merry Melipotis Moth, is a species of moth in the Erebidae family. It is found in Mexico (Yucatán, Mérida), Colombia and most of the United States and western Canada.
Black Witch
The noctuid moth Ascalapha odorata bears the common name Black Witch. It is considered a harbinger of death in Mexican and Caribbean folklore. In Spanish it is known as "Mariposa de la muerte" (Mexico & Costa Rica), "Pirpinto de la Yeta" (Argentina), "Tara Bruja" (Venezuela) or simply "Mariposa negra" (Colombia); in Nahuatl (Mexico) it is "Miquipapalotl" or ...more ↓
The Herald
The herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic and Nearctic (Holarctic).
Common Idia Moth
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.
American Idia Moth
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.
Glossy Black Idia Moth
The Glossy Black Idia (Idia lubricalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Canada south to Florida and Texas.
Idia occidentalis
Idia occidentalis is a species of litter moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from southern Alberta and British Columbia, south to Colorado, Arizona and California.
Bent-winged Owlet
The bent-winged owlet or variable snout moth (Bleptina caradrinalis) is a species of moth of the Erebidae family. It was described by Guenée in 1852. It is found in North America, from Nova Scotia west to British Columbia, south to Arizona. Furthermore, it is found from southern North America south to Brazil and on the Antilles.
Yellow-spotted Renia Moth
The Yellow-dotted Renia or Even-lined Renia (Renia flavipunctalis) is a litter moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from southern Canada (from Nova Scotia west to Alberta) to Florida and Texas.
Alfalfa Looper Moth
Tathorhynchus exsiccata, the Levant blackneck, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. The nominate form is found on the Canary Islands and in North Africa, Tropical Asia and Tropical Africa. It has been introduced in Dominica and Argentina. Subspecies Tathorhynchus exsiccata fallax is found in the northern half of Australia, as well as Norfolk Island and New ...more ↓
Salt Marsh Moth
The Salt Marsh Moth or Acrea Moth (Estigmene acrea) is a moth in the family Arctiidae. It is found in North America, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Colombia and Mexico.
Fall Webworm Moth
The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, is a moth in the family Arctiidae 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 ↓
Ruby Tiger Moth
The Ruby Tiger (Phragmatobia fuliginosa) is a moth of the family Arctiidae. It is found in Europe. There are a number of recognized subspecies, such as P. f. melitensis in Malta and P. f. borealis in Scotland.
California Tiger Moth
Leptarctia californiae is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It was described by Walker in 1855. It is found in western North America, from New Mexico and Colorado to California and north to British Columbia. The habitat consists of open forests, meadows and clearings in the mountains.
Isabella Tiger Moth
The Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) can be found in many cold regions, including the Arctic. The banded Woolly Bear larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form, when it literally freezes solid. First its heart stops beating, then its gut freezes, then its blood, followed by the rest of the body. It survives being frozen by ...more ↓
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.
Many-spotted Tiger Moth
The Many-Spotted Tiger Moth (Hypercompe permaculata) is a tiger moth of the Arctiidae family and one of more than 80 species of Hypercompe. It is native to the western United States and parts of northern Mexico.
Painted Tiger Moth
Arachnis picta, commonly known as the Painted Tiger Moth, is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in the South-Western United States and the bordering parts of Mexico.
Carlotta's Tiger Moth
Apantesis carlotta (Carlotta's tiger moth) is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Ferguson in 1985. It is found from Maine to Georgia, west to North Dakota and Texas.
St. Lawrence Tiger Moth
Platarctia parthenos (St. Lawrence tiger moth) is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Harris in 1850. It is found in boreal North America, ranging from Alaska to Labrador, south to New Mexico and Arizona in the Rocky Mountains and to North Carolina in the Appalachian Mountains. The habitat consists of riparian areas and mixed hardwood-conifer forests at ...more ↓
Orange Virbia Moth
Virbia aurantiaca, the orange holomelina, is a member of the family Erebidae found in North America. In the east it has been recorded from Manitoba and Nova Scotia, south along the eastern seaboard to Cordoba in Mexico. It has also been recorded from Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Fragile Virbia
Virbia fragilis is a moth in the Arctiidae family. It was described by Strecker in 1878. It is found in open fields in the Black Hills in South Dakota and in Boulder, Colorado. The range extends north to Alberta and British Columbia and south to New Mexico.
Police Car Moth
The Police-Car Moth or Green Lattice (Gnophaela vermiculata) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in the western parts of the United States and south-western Canada, from British Columbia to California, east to New Mexico and north to Manitoba.
Yellow-collared Scape Moth
The Yellow-collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis) is a species of the Arctiidae family.
Cresson's ctenucha
Ctenucha cressonana (Cresson's ctenucha) is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the Rocky Mountains, including Colorado and New Mexico.
Veined Ctenucha Moth
Ctenucha venosa, the veined ctenucha moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Walker in 1854. It is found from southern Nevada and Arizona to Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela.
Oregon Cycnia Moth
Cycnia oregonensis is a moth in the Arctiidae family. It is found in most of North America, from coast to coast and from the border with Mexico north to central Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.
Freckled glassy-wing
Pseudohemihyalea labecula, the Freckled Glassy-wing, is a moth in the Arctiidae family. It was described by Grote in 1881. It is found in southern Nevada, Utah, from Colorado to Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.
Red-banded aemilia
The Red-banded Aemilia (Pseudohemihyalea ambigua) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found from southern Wyoming to Durango, Mexico.
Grote's bertholdia
Bertholdia trigona (commonly called Grote's Bertholdia) is a species of moth in the family Arctiidae. It is prevalent in the southwestern United States. In studies performed at Wake Forest University, these moths were shown to have developed the ability to disrupt the echolocation of bats.
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.
