Insect Identification

*** Note: KnowYourInsects.org does its best to include correct identifications of insect photos. It’s always possible that we made a mistake, however, so if you see a misidentification, please contact us and we will correct it. Thanks!

Adult Moths of Order Lepidoptera — Examples
For adult butterflies, click here.
For moth/butterfly caterpillars and pupae, click here.

Now on THREE pages

Families represented — Page 2 (current page):

Page 3:

Page 1:

Lasiocampidae, the tent caterpillars, lappet moths, eggars, and snout moths

Larch tolype moth, Tolype laricis, subfamily Macromphaliinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ The larch tolype moth is typically found in boggy areas where tamarack trees (also called larch trees) and other conifers grow.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Alberta, south of L’Anse, Michigan, USA. Date: 8 August, 2016.

Large tolype moth, Tolype velleda, subfamily Macromphaliinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ The large tolype moth looks as if it has a black mohawk. It has a wingspan that can reach more than 2 inches (up to 5.8 cm), although some individuals are smaller.
Photographed by: Tonja Westerman. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kansas, USA. Date: 21 September, 2020.

Distinct tolype moth, Tolype distincta, subfamily Macromphaliinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ The distinct tolype moth is a small moth that has a fully extended wingspan of a little more than an inch. The female wingspan reaches about 1.3 inches (3.3 cm); the male is a bit smaller.
□ The photographer described it as “adorable” — a great description for a moth that fits on a fingertip! See her additional comments below.
Photographed and identified to order by: Ellen Goldberg. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Eastern foothills of the Sandia Mountains (elevation 7,000 feet), New Mexico, USA. Date: 6 October, 2020.
Ellen says, “I found him on my kitchen floor and went outside with him. I tried to put him in a bush, but he fell out of it so I put him on the ground and left him. When I came back he was gone, so I hope he flew away.”

Rose-myrtle lappet moth, Trabala vishnou, subfamily Lasiocampinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ Female rose-myrtle lappet moths are yellow, and the males (like this one) are light green.
Photographed by: Sobhit Vatsa. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: India. Date: 10 November, 2017.

Gloveria arizonensis (no specific common name), subfamily Lasiocampinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ Gloveria arizonensis shows both squiggly lines and a white dot on each forewing. On other individuals of this species, the inner squiggly line may be very faint. The hindwings are light brown with a thin white border.
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Victoria Lang. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Apple Valley, Utah, USA. Date: 4 September, 2021.
Victoria spotted this moth while camping. The right photo is a nighttime shot; the left photo is the following morning when the moth had taken refuge between a couple of red gas cans.

□ Would you like a list of all the butterfly and moth families — in one handy place? We made one for you! To see it, click here.

Western tent caterpillar moth, Malacosoma californica, subfamily Lasiocampinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ It took a keen eye to spot this western tent caterpillar moth (see comment below). The small adult moth is quite attractive with its bands of beige and brown.
Discovered by: Lili Carpenter. Photographed and identified to genus by: Robert E. Carpenter. Great job, Carpenter family! Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: South Fork, Colorado, USA. Date: 21 July, 2022.
Robert says, “It had landed on a rock the same color!!! Up close here it is easy to see, but at a distance, very difficult. My granddaughter found it and brought it to me on the rock.”

Eastern tent caterpillar moth, Malacosoma americanum, subfamily Lasiocampinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ The adult eastern tent caterpillar moth is a pretty brown moth with a pair of cream-colored stripes on each forewing, and a mane of long hairs on its thorax. the photographer found this one in her car, and then gave this one and another free lodging in her living room.
Photographed by: Meredith M. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Hudson Valley, southeastern New York, USA. Date: 21 June, 2024.
Meredith says, “I named him Mothman after the legend (Pennsylvania Rambler website) in Pennsylvania of a half-man/ half-moth-like creature.”

□ Most people are less familiar with the adult tent caterpillar moths than with its caterpillar, which spins large webbed homes in the crooks of trees. To see a photo of the caterpillar home, click here (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

A lasiocampid moth in the genus Gastropacha, subfamily Gastropachinae, family Lasiocampidae.
□ The brown lappet moth, quite possibly a brown lappet moth (Gastropacha pardale), is the spitting image of a dried brown leaf. The full effect of the leaf mimicry is best viewed from the side (this photo is a top view). To see it, click here (Flickr/Len Worthington)
Photographed by: Surani Pratik. Identified by: Sanjay Sondhi, Titli Trust. Thank you for the identification, Sanjay Sondhi! Location: Navsari, Gujarat, India. Date: 27 October, 2017.

A lappet moth in the family Lasiocampidae.
□ These photos show two views (and different lighting) of the same lappet moth. See the photographer’s comment below.
Photographed by: Syed Gazanfar. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kashmir, India. Date: 8 April, 2019.
Syed says, “I have taken this pic with great difficulty as it had perched itself on the ceiling of the room.”

Noctuidae, the owlet moths

Angle shades moth, Phlogophora meticulosa, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This angle shades moth has an interesting little tuft of hairs just behind the head (photo at right), not to mention the patterned brown triangles on the forewings. The photographer calls that little tuft a “quiff.”
Photographed and identified by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 21 September, 2017.
Bryan says, “About an hour ago I managed to capture a couple of images of the angle shades moth in our garden — ideal camouflage in the dead autumn leaves.”

Wedgling moth, Galgula partita, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This is a light-tan version of the wedgling moth. The photo at right is the front view with a cool reflection below.
□ Moth specialist Dave Wikle notes that the larvae (caterpillars) of wedgling moth larvae feed on Oxalis, which is a genus of flowering plants in the wood-sorrel family.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: moth specialist Dave Wikle. Thank you, Dave! See Thomas’ full-size images here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 24 August, 2017.

Wedgling moth, Galgula partita, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Wedgling moths range in color from light tan to deep brown (see the much lighter-colored version above). In this dark one, the most noticeable feature is the small white spot where the wings meet. See the photographer’s comment below.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org! See Thomas’ full-size images here, here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 17 September, 2020.
Thomas saw this moth (about 13 mm long) while doing some yard work. He says, “The first two were taken with a flash and a 105 mm micro lens while it was flitting around furiously in my bug box. Was the only way I could get it with the wings open. The last one is a close-up with a 200 mm micro lens in ambient light.”

Large Yellow Underwing Moth (Noctua pronuba)

Large yellow underwing, Noctua pronuba, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Take a close look at this large yellow underwing to see a hint of the bright orange hindwings hidden under the gray forewings.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org and verified by moth specialist Dave Wikle. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 18 November, 2016.

Large yellow underwing, Noctua pronuba, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This specimen clearly shows the colorful hindwings of the large yellow underwing.
□ A similar species, called the lesser yellow underwing (Noctua comes) is smaller, and its hindwings have an additional comma-shaped brown marking in the center of each hindwing.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 2 May, 2017.

Large yellow underwing, Noctua pronuba, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ These photos show the side (lateral) and top (dorsal) views of this large yellow underwing. Compare this to other individuals shown on this page to get an idea of the wide variation within this species.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified to family by: Julian Donahue, entomologist (ret.), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Identified to species by: moth specialist Dave Wikle. See Thomas’ full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 10 May, 2017.

Yellow underwing, likely Noctua pronuba, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This appears to be a large yellow underwing, due to the light colored eyespot in front of a darker, irregularly shaped spot on each forewing.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Location: Headington, Oxford, UK. Date: 11 September, 2016.

Yellow underwing, probably Noctua pronuba, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This species is very common in Europe, and made its way to North America in 1979. It has since spread throughout much of the United States and Canada.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Location: Oxford, UK. Date: 22 June, 2016.

Large yellow underwing, Noctua pronuba, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The large yellow underwing has a kidney-shaped marking in the center and about two-thirds of the way back on each forewing. In some individuals, the spot is dark and easy to see, but in others (like this one), it is quite faint.
Photographed by: Nora Schwab. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Fair Oaks, California, USA. Date: 2 May, 2017.
Nora held a ruler near the moth. It was more than an inch long.

Glassy cutworm moth, Apamea devastator, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The “cutworm” part of the glassy cutworm moth refers to the caterpillar of this moth, which chews through corn and wheat, along with various other grasses. Members of the similar-looking Hadeninae subfamily have hairs on the eyes, according to moth expert Dave Wikle. The closeup (top) shows no hairs, which helps identify it as a glassy cutworm moth.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here and here. Identified by: moth specialist Dave Wikle. Thank you, Dave! Location: City of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 27 May, 2017.

Iron prominent, Notodonta dromedarius, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The iron prominent is lovely in shades of gray, reddish-brown and cream. Some individuals are dark gray, so the reddish-brown is not as obvious. This is a large moth with a wingspan that reaches up to 5 cm (2 inches).
□ The iron prominent’s caterpillar has a series of pointy humps, giving it an outline rather like that of a stegosaurus. To see the caterpillar, click here (UK Moths).
Photographed and identified by: Paul Davis. Nicely done, Paul! Location: UK. Date: August 2021.
Paul spotted this moth in his garden.

Small ranunculus moth, Hecatera dysodea, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Moth specialist Dave Wikle says that this small ranunculus moth is a county record, which means that it is the first moth of this species to be noted in this particular county (San Mateo County in California). The small ranunculus moth is a Eurasian species that was first reported in the U.S. Pacific Northwest in 1998, but has spread from there.
□ The profile photo shows its large eyes and pixie-like face.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: moth specialist Dave Wikle. Thank you, Dave! See Thomas’ full-size images here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 11 August, 2017.

Tessellate dart, Euxoa tessellata, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Each forewing of the tessellate dart has a pale eyespot and a more obscure dark-outlined kidney-shaped eyespot behind it. (Click on the photo to zoom in and see the kidney-shaped spot in the left photo.) In some individuals, the wings may have a paler background color with a dark splash of color behind each eyespot, making the eyespots much more obvious.
□ This moth is visiting the flowers of an Arbutus ‘Marina’ (called a “strawberry tree”) in the evening.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’ full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 17 August, 2023.

Four-lined arches, Lacinipolia quadrilineata, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This four-lined arches is attractive with its white areas, but many individuals in this species have gray or brown in place of the white. Note the soft reddish-brown color between the pair of spots on each forewing, and the two connected arches behind its head in the front view.
□ The caterpillars of four-lined arches are known to feed on chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) in California, where this photo was taken.
Photographed and identified to subfamily by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size photos here and here. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 22 April, 2021.

Green arches, Anaplectoides prasina, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Waves of olive green spread across the wings in this green arches moth. Some individuals are more gray or reddish.
Photographed by: Toby O’Mahony Adams. Discovered by Ellie O’Mahony Adams. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: East Clare, Ireland. Date: 16 June, 2022.
Toby says, “Ellie found this beautiful moth today, hiding in our laundry basket.”

A noctuid moth, possibly Lacinipolia patalis (no specific common name), subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This light-brown noctuid moth may be the species Lacinipolia patalis (no specific common name). This individual has almost no apparent markings. To see some with distinct markings, click here (North American Moth Photographers Group/Mississippi Entomological Museum).
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified to family by: Julian Donahue, entomologist (ret.), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Tentatively identified to species by: moth specialist Dave Wikle. Thank you, Julian and Dave! See Thomas’ full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 19 April, 2017.

Girdler moth, Dargida procinctus, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The geometric pattern on the wings of this girdler moth show up well in this photo. The caterpillar, known as an olive-green cutworm, is pale green to dark green with a beige or brown stripe down the center of its back, and a pair of either stripes or dashed lines on either side of the central stripe. To see the caterpillar, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed and identified by: Kay. Location: In the foothills of Mount Hood in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Date: 30 March, 2022.
Kay says, “I’m amazed with nature’s ability to camouflage.”

Lesser wainscot moth, Mythimna oxygala, subfamily Noctuinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The narrow streaking and the few scattered and small dark dots on the wings — along with the very hairy thorax — help to identify the lesser wainscot moth.
Photographed and identified by: Joyce Kay. Nicely done, Joyce! Location: Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. Date: 28 August, 2019.

Primrose moth, Schinia florida, subfamily Heliothinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The primrose moth looks much like the rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda), but the two are in different families (Noctuidae and Saturniidae, respectively). To tell one from the other, look at the forewings: The rosy maple moth has a broad yellow band in the middle of each wing, while the primrose moth has a band of yellow on the edge of each pink forewing.
Photographed by: Denise Rulason. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mayville, Michigan, USA. Date: 2018.

Tobacco budworm moth, Chloridea virescens, subfamily Heliothinae, family Noctuidae.
□ As its name suggests, the tobacco budworm moth has caterpillars that are pests on tobacco plants, but they will also eat all kinds of other agricultural crops and other plants, including clover and cotton; soybeans, tomatoes, peas and a variety of other vegetables; and garden plants, such as geraniums, birds of paradise, petunias and marigolds.
□ These caterpillars are particular problems in southeastern states, where four or five generations can occur in a single year. They do not survive northern winters, and although they do migrate into the northeastern U.S. during the summer, they do not become major pests there. They are also found in California, where this one was photographed.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here, here and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: City of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 12 May, 2018.

Tobacco budworm moth, Chloridea virescens, subfamily Heliothinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This tobacco budworm moth was photographed in California, but the species is more common in the southeastern United States.
□ Characteristic features include the three bands on each forewing, with the top and bottom band set off by an adjacent light band; and the pale hindwings, sometimes marked by smudges of gray or reddish-brown (as seen here).
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 16 August, 2023.

White-spotted midget moth, Eutricopis nexilis, subfamily Heliothinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The white-spotted midget moth, which has a wingspan of less than an inch (2 cm), is a diurnal moth. It has a varying amount of rich purple/maroon color on its forewings — this one has a lot of color! Its hindwings, which are hidden in this photo, are dark brown, each with a pair of white spots.
Photographed by: April Henderson. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Beauty Lake trail in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana, USA. Date: 21 July, 2023.
April says, “I need to start bringing a ruler. This was a fairly small moth.”

□ Many butterflies and moths have caterpillars that are specialist feeders, meaning they only eat a limited number of plants. That is true of the white-spotted midget moth (Eutricopis nexilis), which is a specialist on plants called pussytoes in the genus Antennaria.

Darker-spotted straw moth, Heliothis phloxiphaga, subfamily Heliothinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The forewings and hindwings of the darker-spotted straw moth have distinctive features. The forewings each have an angled dark bar across the center, which is especially well-pronounced in the left and right photos above (in some, the inner half of the bar is much more faint). The hindwings have a broad, black, edge band with two white spots merged into an oblong white mark in the middle of the band, also nicely seen in the left photo.
□ This moth was photographed visiting the urn-shaped flowers of an Arbutus 'Marina' (marina strawberry tree) in the evening.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his original full-size images here, here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 17-18 August, 2023.

Alfalfa looper, Autographa californica, subfamily Heliothinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Adult alfalfa loopers are often seen on mint, and this one is visiting the flowers of mountain coyote mint (Monardella odoratissima), also known by the common name of mountain monardella.
□ Characteristic features include forewings that are a combination of brown, reddish-brown, and white; a pair of white-outlined eyespots on the forewings (the larger eyespot has a bit of a curved tail); tan hindwings with a broad dark band along the edge; and two reddish-brown spots on the tan abdomen. The right photo shows the curled proboscis and the thin leg spines.
Photographed (and flowers identified) by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’ full-size images here, here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 18 August, 2023.
Thomas says, “This one was almost nonstop, I don’t think it ever landed.”

Beautiful wood-nymph, Eudryas grata, subfamily Agaristinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This is a typical resting pose for the beautiful wood-nymph: front legs outstretched, and wings pulled in. A very similar species is the pearly wood-nymph (Eudryas unio), but the margin between the dark and white area on each of the pearly wood-nymph’s forewings is wavy rather than smooth. See the photo of the pearly wood-nymph elsewhere on this page.
Photographed and identified by: James Pronk. Well done, James! Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Date: 21 July, 2019.
James says, “I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I live in an old house with all kinds of insects.”

Beautiful wood nymph, Eudryas grata, subfamily Agaristinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Beauty is in the eye of the beholder with this beautiful wood nymph. Some see an exquisite ivory and brown moth, and some see bird poop (like the photographer/submitter — see the comment below). On the positive side, potential predators usually see bird poop, so they leave this moth alone.
Photographed by: Lois Feldman, Submitted by: Fred Feldman. Great couple work, Fred and Lois! Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Leyden, Massachusetts, USA. Date: 9 July, 2022.
Fred describes the discovery: “Lois was tidying up on the porch. She thought she saw some bird poop on the wall under the porch light. She was about to clear it up, but then she realized it was some sort of creature disguised to look like bird poop.”

Pearly wood-nymph, Eudryas unio, subfamily Agaristinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The pearly wood-nymph is lovely with its shimmering white forewings; wide, brown, scalloped border; and red highlights. Its hindwings and abdomen, which are only visible when its forewings are spread, are butter-yellow. Its range extends from southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada, through the eastern half of the United States, and down to the Gulf Coast.
Photographed and identified to order by: Rory Murdock. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Barrhaven, Ontario Canadaa. Date: 24 June, 2020.
Rory says, “It was really cool.”

Forester moth, also called an eight-spotted forester, Alypia octomaculata, subfamily Agaristinae, family Noctuidae.
□ A fairly uncommon moth, the forester moth has two spots per wing (eight total), orange legs, and a cream stripe at the shoulders. This a day-flying moth, which looks and acts a lot like a butterfly, is small with a wingspan of less than 1.5 inches (3.6 cm).
Photographed and identified as a moth by: Sue Isaac. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Granger, Indiana, USA. Date: 7 July, 2022.
Sue says, “I’ve never seen this one before.”

Cobubatha dividua (no specific common name), subfamily Cobubathinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Cobubatha dividua has a dark-light-dark pattern from its head to the end of its forewings. Many also have a noticeably darker-brown band through the center of the forewings and a pair of dark blotches at the side of each light section, and both features are shown well in this photo.
Photographed and identified to family by: Robert E.Carpenter. See Robert’s cool slow-motion nature video here. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kerrville, Texas, USA. Date: 15 June, 2023.
Robert says this one came to a ultraviolet light.

Tufted Bird Dropping Moth (Cerma cerintha)

Tufted bird dropping moth, also known as a tufted bird lime moth, Cerma cerintha, subfamily Acronictinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The rather unflattering name of tufted bird dropping moth comes from the moth’s wing coloration and pattern, which is somewhat like that of a bird dropping. The black pattern also resembles lace — perhaps that should have been the focus for the common name instead of bird dropping :-)
Photographed by: Jennifer Fox. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Brighton, Michigan, USA. Date: 30 May, 2016.

Bilobed looper, Megalographa biloba, subfamily Plusiinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The bilobed looper has shades of tan, brown and reddish-brown. It has a noticeable silver B-shaped marking in the middle of each forewing, and also sports a tuft of hair on its thorax.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’ full-size image here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 23 May, 2020.
Thomas was watering a magenta rock rose (Cistus x pulverulentus 'Sunset') when this moth made its appearance. He says, “Some bug is always showing up.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Beautiful flowers and beautiful insects — a great combination!”

Bilobed looper, Megalographa biloba, subfamily Plusiinae, family Noctuidae.
□ In the left photo, the hindwings of this bilobed looper look mostly dark gray, but in the right photo, they have a brilliant copper sparkle. This is because the wings are covered in reflective scales that are tilted, so the shimmer only shows up when the light strikes them at the correct angle. To read more about moth-wing shine, click here (Smithsonian Magazine).
□ Click on this photo to see enlarged versions of these photos.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’ full-size images here, and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 7 September, 2023.

Bilobed looper, Megalographa biloba, subfamily Plusiinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The bilobed looper lives year-round in warm climates, but will migrate into cooler areas in the summer.
□ Note: It was formerly placed in the genus Autographa.
Photographed by: Nora Schwab. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Fair Oaks, California, USA. Date: 18 September, 2022.
Nora says thought this was a bit of vegetation in her garden and picked it up. She says, “I was surprised at how soft it was when it fluttered its wings, and I realized it was a very pretty and small moth.”

Silver Y moth, Autographa gamma, subfamily Plusiinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The common name of the silver Y moth refers to the curved, white-silver, Y-shaped marking in the center of each forewing.
Photographed and identified by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Well done, Bryan! Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 28 August, 2017.
Bryan says, “It was resting on a fallen oak leaf, (and it) was trapped in a spider’s thread.”

Silver Y moth, Autographa gamma, subfamily Plusiinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The silver Y moth has forewings that are full of swirling color, and of course the white Y. The hindwings, however, are much different: dirty white or tan with smudged brown edges.
□ Notice also the fuzzy femurs on the forelegs (this feature is not prominent on all individuals in this species).
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nicely done on the ID, Jean-Louis! Location: Oxford, England, UK. Date: 1 August, 2023.

A looper moth in the subfamily Plusiinae, family Noctuidae.
□ This looper moth has flamboyant tufts of fur on its head, and another little sweep of hair extending up from its nose. The photographer estimated its size as about 4 cm (1.6 inches) long.
Photographed by: K J Westman. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Sir Lanka. Date: 26 December, 2018.
K J says, “ I cannot identify the moth since all moths depicted on the internet have their wings spread. When I tried to get a better angle, it was disturbed and took off.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Insects do not always pose well — hah!”

White-dotted groundling, Condica videns, subfamily Condicinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The white-dotted groundling is mostly dark brown, but with a small white dot on each forewing. A close look also reveals a row of even tinier white dots along the wing margin.
Photographed by: Robert E.Carpenter. See Robert’s cool slow-motion nature video here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Texas, USA. Date: 1 December, 2019.

Cascades panthea, Panthea virginarius, subfamily Pantheinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The Cascades panthea looks different in different geographic areas. West of the Cascades mountain range in western North America, it is typically white with black bands and dark gray smudges (as seen here). Elsewhere, it is usually either 1) darker gray instead of white, but still with black bands; or 2) dark gray with less black banding.
Photographed by: Pam Ritzenthaler. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: White Salmon, Washington, USA. Date: 3 August, 2022.

Mossy sallow moth, Feralia februalis, subfamily Amphipyrinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The mossy sallow moth has a rather limited range along the Pacific Ocean shoreline from southern California to northern Oregon. It is seen flying about in late winter/early spring, but its scientific name of Feralia februalis specifically notes its February occurrence: Feralia refers to an ancient Roman feast that was held on February 21 (the day this one was photographed), and februalis refers to the ancient Roman ritual called Februua that was held on February 15.
Photographed by: Sherri Morphis. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Escondido, California, USA. Date: 21 February, 2021.
Sherri gives this description: “pretty, sage green, striped-leg moth.”

Indian lily moth, Polytela gloriosae, subfamily Glottulinae, family Noctuidae.
□ The small pops of pink, yellow and white almost glow against the rich dark color of the wings of this Indian lily moth. When the light hits the wings a certain way, a light blue cast also appears, as seen here.
Photographed by: Amit Sheth. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India. Date: 27 November, 2020.

Pseudozarba bipartita (no specific common name), subfamily Eustrotiinae, family Noctuidae.
□ Pseudozarba bipartita has a species name — bipartita, which means two parts — a good description of the two lighter-colored sections front and rear on each forewing.
Photographed by: Marcia Hall. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Lachania, Rhodes, Greece. Date: 16 September, 2022.

African cotton leafworm moth, Spodoptera littoralis, subfamily Hadeninae, family Noctuidae.
□ The African cotton leafworm moth, is also sometimes called the Egyptian cottonworm moth or Mediterranean brocade. Its caterpillars eat cotton and a wide variety of crop plants, including cabbage, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, figs, a variety of fruits and grains, tea plants, among many others.
Photographed by: Maria Francis. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Thala vadi in Erode District, Southern State of India. Date: 18 March, 2019.

Curve-lined cydosia moth, Cydosia nobilitella, subfamily Hadeninae, family Noctuidae.
□ With its orange wings decorated with black-bordered white spots, the curve-lined cydosia moth is a standout. This moth also goes by the common name of regal cydosia. It is not a particularly common moth, so it was a great find!
Photographed by: Ron Andrew. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: St. Lucia. Date: 16 December, 2020.

Notodontidae, the prominent moths
Euteliidae, the euteliid moths

White-dotted prominent, Nadata gibbosa, subfamily Phalerinae, family Notodontidae.
□ The white-dotted prominent is sometimes called a rough prominent. A characteristic feature is the pair of tiny white dots on each forewing. The dots are often at the bottom edge of a lighter-colored patch on each forewing, as shown. The overall color of the moth, however, varies from tan to dark brown and even rather orange.
□ To see the variety, as well as the caterpillars, click here (North American Moth Photographers Group/Mississippi Entomological Museum).
Photographed by: Marc Stenberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Date: 4 December, 2020.

□ Would you like a list of all the butterfly/moth families in one handy place? We made one for you! To see it, click here.

Eyed paectes, Paectes oculatrix, subfamily Euteliinae, family Euteliidae.
□ This photo shows two of the prominent features of the eyed paectes: a large, dark swirl (the so-called eye) on each forewing; and its posture — when at rest, it often sits with its abdomen poking up in the air. An interesting note about the caterpillar of this species is that it feeds on the leaves of poison ivy. To see the caterpillar, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed by: Richie Johnson. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Vernon, New Jersey, USA. Date: 16 October, 2021.

Erebidae, the erebid moths

Faithful beauty, female, Composia fidelissima, subfamily Arctiinae, family Erebidae.
□ Bright red and blue embellish the day-flying faithful beauty. These two photos of an insect in a pinned collection give a good view of the full wings, including yellow banding of the underside of the abdomen. Because of its red, white and blue coloration, it is sometimes called an Uncle Sam moth in southern Florida, which is the U.S. portion of its range.
□ The female, shown, has hair-like antennae; the male has slightly wider and feathery antennae.
□ See the comment below to hear about its cool defensive froth.
Photographed and identified by: Robert E. Carpenter. Well done, Robert! See Robert’s cool slow-motion nature video here. Location: Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Date: 12 February, 1983.
Robert says, “This is one of the prettiest moths I have ever seen. They emit a bubbly orange (I would guess, poison) exudate from their head or head/thorax junction when touched.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Yes, it will secrete a froth that contains cardiac glycosides, the same bad-tasting chemical compound that helps protect monarch butterflies from predators.”