Butterflies and Moths of Ontario

National Moth Week is July 18-26!

Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.

1790 Species Recorded in Ontario

Top 20 Species Checklist All Photographs

Featured Species

Coenonympha tullia

100 Most Recent Sightings in Ontario

Use the Data Explorer to explore all sightings in Ontario.

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Most Recent Sightings in Ontario

See more recent sightings in Ontario

Red-headed inchworm
Macaria bisignata

Observed: Jul 21, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Condylolomia participalis

Observed: Jul 21, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Platynota semiustana

Observed: Jul 21, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Maple Leaftier
Acleris forsskaleana

Observed: Jul 21, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Epiblema glenni

Observed: Jul 21, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Waterlily Leafcutter Moth
Elophila obliteralis

Observed: Jul 21, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Lymantria dispar

Observed: Jul 21, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 21, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Virginian Tiger Moth or Yellow Woolybear Moth
Spilosoma virginica

Observed: Jul 19, 2026

Submitted by: rndonley

Verified: Jul 21, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Observed: Jul 19, 2026

Submitted by: kittybev

Verified: Jul 20, 2026

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Parsnip Webworm
Depressaria pastinacella

Observed: Jul 19, 2026

Submitted by: rndonley

Verified: Jul 21, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Choristoneura fumiferana group

Observed: Jul 19, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Dichomeris inversella

Observed: Jul 19, 2026

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jul 22, 2026

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Top 10 Commonly Reported Butterflies and Moths of Ontario

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dingy Cutworm Moth Feltia jaculifera
European Skipper Thymelicus lineola	Wings are brassy burnt orange; upperside of both wings with black borders and black on the outer portions of the veins. The male forewing has a narrow black stigma. A pale form (pallida) is very rare.

Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

National Moth Week is July 18-26!

Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.

1790 Species Recorded in Ontario

Featured Species

Coenonympha tullia

100 Most Recent Sightings in Ontario

Check out our Classic BAMONA Logo Shirts and cozy Native Plants Hoodies!

Please donate!

Advertise with us!

Most Recent Sightings in Ontario

Red-headed inchworm
Macaria bisignata

Condylolomia participalis

Platynota semiustana

Maple Leaftier
Acleris forsskaleana

Epiblema glenni

Waterlily Leafcutter Moth
Elophila obliteralis

Lymantria dispar

Virginian Tiger Moth or Yellow Woolybear Moth
Spilosoma virginica

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Parsnip Webworm
Depressaria pastinacella

Choristoneura fumiferana group

Dichomeris inversella

Cabbage White
Pieris rapae

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa

Virginia Ctenucha
Ctenucha virginica

Dingy Cutworm Moth
Feltia jaculifera

European Skipper
Thymelicus lineola

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Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

National Moth Week is July 18-26!

Moths are amazing creatures. Take photographs and share your moth sightings with us to document the moths where you live.

Butterflies and Moths of Ontario

1790 Species Recorded in Ontario

Featured Species

100 Most Recent Sightings in Ontario

Please donate!

Advertise with us!

Most Recent Sightings in Ontario

Red-headed inchwormMacaria bisignata

Maple LeaftierAcleris forsskaleana

Waterlily Leafcutter MothElophila obliteralis

Virginian Tiger Moth or Yellow Woolybear MothSpilosoma virginica

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta

Parsnip WebwormDepressaria pastinacella

Cabbage WhitePieris rapae

MonarchDanaus plexippus

Northern CrescentPhyciodes cocyta

Clouded SulphurColias philodice

Black SwallowtailPapilio polyxenes

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta

Mourning CloakNymphalis antiopa

Virginia CtenuchaCtenucha virginica

Dingy Cutworm MothFeltia jaculifera

European SkipperThymelicus lineola

Red-headed inchworm
Macaria bisignata

Maple Leaftier
Acleris forsskaleana

Waterlily Leafcutter Moth
Elophila obliteralis

Virginian Tiger Moth or Yellow Woolybear Moth
Spilosoma virginica

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Parsnip Webworm
Depressaria pastinacella

Cabbage White
Pieris rapae

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa

Virginia Ctenucha
Ctenucha virginica

Dingy Cutworm Moth
Feltia jaculifera

European Skipper
Thymelicus lineola