Butterflies and Moths of Canada

2597 Species Recorded in Canada

Top 20 Species Checklist All Photographs

Featured Species

100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

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Most Recent Sightings in Canada

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Grote's Sallow
Copivaleria grotei

Observed: May 07, 2024

Submitted by: RStankiewicz

Verified: May 08, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Eastern Pine Elfin
Callophrys niphon

Observed: May 07, 2024

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: May 08, 2024

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Lettered sphinx
Deidamia inscriptum

Observed: May 06, 2024

Submitted by: RStankiewicz

Verified: May 08, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Curved-Toothed Geometer
Eutrapela clemataria

Observed: May 06, 2024

Submitted by: RStankiewicz

Verified: May 07, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Brown-shaded Carpet
Venusia comptaria

Observed: May 06, 2024

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: May 07, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Comstock's Sallow
Feralia comstocki

Observed: May 06, 2024

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: May 07, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Red Twin-spot
Xanthorhoe ferrugata

Observed: May 06, 2024

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: May 06, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Discestra farnhami

Observed: May 05, 2024

Submitted by: bobscafe

Verified: May 06, 2024

Verified by: davidwdroppers

Details

Egira rubrica

Observed: May 05, 2024

Submitted by: bobscafe

Verified: May 07, 2024

Verified by: davidwdroppers

Details

Lithophane amanda

Observed: May 05, 2024

Submitted by: bobscafe

Verified: May 07, 2024

Verified by: davidwdroppers

Details

Egira rubrica

Observed: May 05, 2024

Submitted by: bobscafe

Verified: May 07, 2024

Verified by: davidwdroppers

Details

Ipsilon Dart
Agrotis ipsilon

Observed: May 04, 2024

Submitted by: RStankiewicz

Verified: May 05, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Top 10 Commonly Reported Butterflies and Moths of Canada

Cabbage White Pieris rapae	Upperside of wings white; forewing with black tip. Two submarginal black spots in female, one in male. Underside of hindwing and forewing apex evenly yellow-green or gray-green. Spring and fall short-day form is smaller, less yellow, with reduced black areas.
Monarch Danaus plexippus	Upperside of male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; hindwing has a patch of scent scales. Upperside of female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Both sexes have white spots on borders and apex. The Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) is a Mullerian mimic; it has similar coloration and is also distasteful.
Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa	Short projections on both wings, borders irregular. Upperside is purple-black with a wide, bright yellow border on outer margins, and a row of iridescent blue spots at the inner edge of the border.
Northern Crescent Phyciodes cocyta	Antennal clubs of male are orange. Females are darker than males. Upperside is orange-brown with dark borders; median orange-brown areas are mostly open, with few dark markings. Underside of hindwing is orange with a tan patch surrounding the pale marginal crescent.
Clouded Sulphur Colias philodice	Upper surface of male wings bright, clear yellow with solid black edging; lower side of forewing with some dark submarginal spots; hindwing with silver cell spot rimmed with orange-pink, usually doubled. Female has 2 forms: yellow form with uneven black edging enclosing yellow spots, and a white form which is greenish-white rather than yellow. Spring and fall forms are smaller and less conspicuously marked.
Polyphemus moth Antheraea polyphemus	Upperside is reddish to yellowish brown; forewing margin is usually lighter than the basal area; forewing submarginal line is pink, or black and pink. Clear oval eyespots are ringed with yellow, blue, and black; hindwing eyespot is separated from the basal area of the wing by a thin pink line. Underside has rust, brown, and pink markings.
Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta	Upperside is black with white spots near the apex; forewing with red median band, hindwing with red marginal band. The winter form is smaller and duller, summer form larger and brighter with an interrupted forewing band.
Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes	Upper surface of wings mostly black; on inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. Male has yellow band near edge of wings; female has row of yellow spots. Female hindwing with iridescent blue band. In the Southwest, yellow forms predominate in the subspecies P. coloro.
Virginia Ctenucha Ctenucha virginica	The largest and most broad-winged of wasp moths in North America. Body metallic blue; head and sides of collar orange. Forewing deep grayish brown, metallic blue at base. Hindwing black. Fringes on all wings partly white.
Hummingbird Clearwing Hemaris thysbe	Adult appearance is variable; Hummingbird mimic. The thorax is olive to golden-olive in color dorsally, yellow ventrally; abdomen is dark burgundy (sometimes almost black) both dorsally and ventrally, with light olive to dark golden patches dorsally. Wings mostly clear with reddish brown terminal borders and dark scaling along veins. While wing maculation is too variable to be 100% diagnostic, <i>thysbe</i> typically has thick terminal borders and the discal cell is typically covered or bisected by dark scales. However, <i>thysbe</i> can always be distinguished from <i>gracilis</i> and <i>diffinis</i> by two characteristics: 1) the lack of any banding on the lateral side of the thorax; 2) <i>thysbe</i> always has yellowish or pale colored legs.

Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

2597 Species Recorded in Canada

Featured Species

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100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

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Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Grote's Sallow
Copivaleria grotei

Eastern Pine Elfin
Callophrys niphon

Lettered sphinx
Deidamia inscriptum

Curved-Toothed Geometer
Eutrapela clemataria

Brown-shaded Carpet
Venusia comptaria

Comstock's Sallow
Feralia comstocki

Red Twin-spot
Xanthorhoe ferrugata

Discestra farnhami

Egira rubrica

Lithophane amanda

Egira rubrica

Ipsilon Dart
Agrotis ipsilon

Cabbage White
Pieris rapae

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice

Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Virginia Ctenucha
Ctenucha virginica

Hummingbird Clearwing
Hemaris thysbe

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Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Butterflies and Moths of Canada

2597 Species Recorded in Canada

Featured Species

100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Please donate!

Advertise with us!

Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Grote's SallowCopivaleria grotei

Eastern Pine ElfinCallophrys niphon

Lettered sphinxDeidamia inscriptum

Curved-Toothed GeometerEutrapela clemataria

Brown-shaded CarpetVenusia comptaria

Comstock's SallowFeralia comstocki

Red Twin-spotXanthorhoe ferrugata

Ipsilon DartAgrotis ipsilon

Cabbage WhitePieris rapae

MonarchDanaus plexippus

Mourning CloakNymphalis antiopa

Northern CrescentPhyciodes cocyta

Clouded SulphurColias philodice

Polyphemus mothAntheraea polyphemus

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta

Black SwallowtailPapilio polyxenes

Virginia CtenuchaCtenucha virginica

Hummingbird ClearwingHemaris thysbe

Grote's Sallow
Copivaleria grotei

Eastern Pine Elfin
Callophrys niphon

Lettered sphinx
Deidamia inscriptum

Curved-Toothed Geometer
Eutrapela clemataria

Brown-shaded Carpet
Venusia comptaria

Comstock's Sallow
Feralia comstocki

Red Twin-spot
Xanthorhoe ferrugata

Ipsilon Dart
Agrotis ipsilon

Cabbage White
Pieris rapae

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice

Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Virginia Ctenucha
Ctenucha virginica

Hummingbird Clearwing
Hemaris thysbe