Field Guide

Tent caterpillar moths and lappet moths are medium-sized, with thick, long scales that make them look furry. The abdomen usually extends past the wings when they are folded back over the body.

At rest, tortricid moths often have a distinctive shape, resembling an arrowhead or a bell, with the forewing tips either squared-off or flared outward.

The spiny oak-slug moth is named for its caterpillar, which is armed with gaudy, stiff, stinging spines. If you touch them, the sting can feel something like a bee sting.

The lettered sphinx is the earliest of our sphinx moths to emerge in springtime and may be seen starting in March and April. This single-brooded resident uses wild grapes, Virginia creeper, and peppervine as its caterpillar food plants.

The bent-line carpet and several similar geometrid moths are called carpet moths for their intricate wing patterns, reminiscent of the traditional carpets of Asia and the Middle East.

The juniper-twig geometer is one of many geometrid moths that look like a dried-up leaf. Look for them around porch lights April through November. Larvae eat junipers, including eastern red cedar.

The grapevine epimenis flies during daytime and would seem too colorful to be a moth, but a moth it is. They fly in springtime and love to visit wild plum blossoms.

The bilobed looper moth has a conspicuous B-shaped silvery spot on each forewing. Caterpillars of this noctuid moth eat a wide range of plants, and this species is widespread.

The enormous, horned caterpillars of regal moths are more famous than the winged adults. This splendid moth is well established in the Ozarks and eastern Missouri.

The beautiful imperial moth is impossible to confuse with any other species in Missouri: the wings are yellow with spots and speckles of pink, orange, or rusty pale purple. Wingspan can be 5½ inches.