Moths
Night-shift cousins of butterflies — older, often weirder, sometimes tear-drinking.
63 on file
Atlas Moth
World's largest moth. Wings shaped like snake heads. No mouth, no food, no time.
Death's-Head Hawkmoth
Skull on the thorax. Squeaks. Robs beehives by smelling like a bee.
Hummingbird Hawkmoth
Looks like a hummingbird. Flies like a hummingbird. Is, in fact, a moth.
Luna Moth
Pale green ghost of the moonlit forest. Tails that jam bat sonar. No mouth.
Silkworm Moth
Domesticated 5,000 years ago. Built the Silk Road. Adults can no longer fly.
Hercules Moth
Largest wing surface area of any insect alive. 300 cm². Adult lasts a week. No mouth.
Madagascan Sunset Moth
Often called the most beautiful insect on Earth. Iridescent green, blue, orange, gold, red.
Polyphemus Moth
North America's giant silk moth. 15 cm wingspan. Eyespots straight from the Cyclops. Adult cannot eat.
Citrus Leafminer
Larvae develop INSIDE citrus leaves. Diagnostic SERPENTINE silver mine trails visible in leaves.
Codling Moth
World's most damaging apple pest — the proverbial 'WORM IN THE APPLE'. $1B+ annual global losses.
Oriental Fruit Moth
Most damaging stone fruit pest worldwide — sister to codling moth, controlled by pheromone mating disruption.
Cactus Moth
Saved Australia from prickly pear (1925-32) — now THREATENING native NA cactus and Mexican prickly pear agriculture.
Indianmeal Moth
Most damaging stored-product moth worldwide. Diagnostic SILK WEBBING in infested pantry foods.
Western Tent Caterpillar
Western NA tent caterpillar. Builds white silk tents in branch crotches. Cyclic outbreaks in chaparral.
Evergreen Bagworm
Caterpillar drags SILK BAG. Adult female NEVER LEAVES THE BAG — wingless, legless, eyeless, mates inside.
Pink-Spotted Hawkmoth (Periwinkle Sphinx)
Large NA migratory hawkmoth. Pink-and-black banded abdomen. 10-15 cm proboscis (longer than body).
Brown-Tail Moth
Caterpillar covered in URTICATING HAIRS that cause severe rash and respiratory irritation in humans.
Pink Bollworm
Major historical cotton pest. Successfully ERADICATED from US in 2018 — flagship Bt+SIT eradication program.
Sugarcane Borer
Major sugarcane pest of the Americas. $300M-$1B annual losses. Foundational biocontrol case study.
Diamondback Moth
Most damaging cruciferous crop pest worldwide. $4-5B annual losses. FIRST documented case of insect Bt resistance.
European Corn Borer
Major NA corn pest. Primary target of Bt corn alongside corn earworm. Bt deployment dramatically reduced populations.
Fall Armyworm
Major NA agricultural pest. INVADED Africa in 2016, Asia in 2018, Australia in 2020. Threat to global food security.
Catalpa Sphinx
Famous 'CATALPA WORM' bait fishing caterpillar. Catalpa trees planted as worm farms across southeastern US.
Cabbage Looper
Major NA vegetable pest. LOOPS while walking — body forms a loop and extends forward.
Cinnabar Moth
Brilliant CRIMSON-RED-AND-BLACK day-flying moth. Most successful weed-biocontrol species ever introduced to NA.
Corn Earworm
Major NA crop pest. Same species as cotton bollworm and tomato fruitworm. Foundational target of Bt corn.
Salt Marsh Caterpillar
Color-variable wooly bear. Mass autumn migrations across roads and gardens in southeastern US.
Ilia Underwing
Bark-mimic forewings hide BRILLIANT FLASHING hindwings. 250+ NA species. Most-photographed startle-display moths.
Ailanthus Webworm Moth
Brilliant orange-and-black wasp-mimicking moth. Tracks the spread of invasive Tree of Heaven across NA.
Black Witch Moth
Largest moth in North America. 24 cm wingspan. 'Mariposa de la muerte' in Latin American folklore.
Polka-Dot Wasp Moth
Brilliant metallic BLUE-BLACK with white POLKA DOTS and bright RED abdomen tip. Oleander pest in southern US.
Tomato Hornworm (Five-spotted Hawkmoth)
Major NA garden pest. Big green caterpillar with BLACK HORN. Adult is gray sphinx with FIVE yellow spot pairs.
Forest Tent Caterpillar
Despite the name, builds silk MATS on tree trunks (not tents). 10-12 year cyclic outbreaks defoliate NA forests.
Pandora Sphinx
Camouflage hawk moth with olive-pink-cream graduated bands. Larva has FIVE oval eye-spots like a five-eyed snake.
Imperial Moth
14-17 cm yellow giant silk moth marked with red-purple-brown maple-leaf patches.
Promethea Moth
Day-flying male MIMICS the toxic pipevine swallowtail. Females are reddish-brown and nocturnal.
Regal Moth (Hickory Horned Devil)
Caterpillar is the LARGEST in North America. Looks like a dragon. Completely harmless.
Snowberry Clearwing
BUMBLEBEE-mimic clearwing moth. Sister species to the hummingbird-mimic clearwing.
Hummingbird Clearwing
Day-flying hawk moth that looks and behaves so much like a hummingbird that birders misidentify her.
White-Lined Sphinx
Most widespread hawk moth in NA. Hovers at flowers like a hummingbird at dawn and dusk.
Six-Spot Burnet Moth
Day-flying moth that contains REAL cyanide. Bird predators learn quickly. Bright red-and-black warning.
Madagascan Comet Moth
Longest moth wing tails on Earth — 15 cm. Bat sonar deflector. Lives 4-5 days. Endemic to Madagascar.
Hornet Moth
Moth that mimics a European hornet so well even entomologists are fooled. Wings are transparent.
Garden Tiger Moth
Chocolate-brown wings with cream stripes. Orange hindwings flash. Toxic and warning-colored.
Asp Caterpillar (Southern Flannel Moth)
Looks like a piece of cotton. Sting reportedly the most painful in North America. Pet your kid.
White Plume Moth
Wings divided into feathered plumes. Forms a 'T' silhouette at rest. Family of 1,500 species.
Silver Y Moth
Migrates billions between North Africa and northern Europe. Ground speed exceeds 100 km/h on tailwinds.
Eastern Tent Caterpillar
Builds silken tent nests in spring cherry trees. Causes Kentucky horse abortion epidemics.
Fall Webworm
Drapes branch tips in silken webs in late summer. Native invasive across Europe and Asia since 1940s.
Giant Leopard Moth
White wings with leopard-spot rings. Iridescent blue-orange abdomen hidden under the wings. Plays dead.
Greater Wax Moth
Caterpillar DIGESTS plastic — first discovered in 2017. 40,000× faster than environmental degradation.
Pine Processionary Caterpillar
Marches in head-to-tail processions of hundreds. Bristles cause anaphylaxis. Kills dogs.
Tobacco Hornworm
10 cm green caterpillar with red 'horn.' Major model organism. Devastates tomato gardens.
Small Emperor Moth
Only saturniid moth native to Britain. Day-flying orange males. Adults cannot eat.
Spongy Moth (formerly Gypsy Moth)
Renamed from 'gypsy moth' in 2022. Released in Massachusetts in 1869. Has defoliated tens of millions of acres.
White-Marked Tussock Moth
Bright yellow caterpillar with white tufts and black horns. Bristles cause stinging dermatitis. Female is flightless.
Webbing Clothes Moth
Larvae digest keratin — the protein in wool, fur, silk. Adults don't eat. $1B+ in textile damage per year.
Yucca Moth
Sole pollinator of yucca. Actively packs pollen into the flower like a tiny farmer. Obligate mutualism.
Cecropia Moth
Largest moth native to North America. 18 cm wingspan. Caterpillar is bright green with painted tubercles.
Giant Peacock Moth
Largest moth in Europe. 20 cm wingspan. The species that proved insect pheromones exist in 1879.
Io Moth
Hides camouflaged at rest; flashes giant blue eyes at predators. Caterpillar stings like a bee.
White Witch Moth
Largest wingspan of any insect on Earth. 31 cm tip-to-tip. Larva has been seen ONCE.
Woolly Bear (Isabella Tiger Moth)
The folklore weather caterpillar. Survives -90°C using natural antifreeze. Arctic cousin needs 7 years to grow up.