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.
Lymantria dispar (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Lymantriinae
Identification: Sexually dimorphic: female much larger and lighter in color. Forewing brown with yellowish overlay in male. Hindwing yellowish to reddish brown. Reniform spot consists of three black spots (usually merged) in both sexes; black orbicular dot also present. Wings whitish in female, with deeply scalloped gray lines and black spots. Terminal line a series of black dots on forewing and hindwing.
Wing Span: 3-4 cm in males; 5.6-6.7 cm in females.
Life History: Larvae can defoliate large tracts of forests in peak years. In woods where larvae are numerous, you can actually hear them feeding.
Flight:
Caterpillar Hosts: Oaks are preferred. Also alder, apple, basswood, birches, box elder, hawthorn, hazelnut, larch, mountain-ash, poplars, rose bushes, sumac, willows, and witch-hazel.
Adult Food:
Habitat: Forests.
Range: Deliberately introduced from Europe at Medford, Massachusetts in 1868 or 1869 by Leopold Trouvelot, who hoped to raise this moth for silk production. Now, established from Nova Scotia to North Carolina and Florida, west to Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri. Range is expanding.
Conservation:
NCGR:
Management Needs:
Taxonomy Notes: Formerly referred to by a derogatory common name of "gypsy moth," which was removed from the Entomological Society of America's Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List in July 2021.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 624 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 23, 2022
Submitted by: RStankiewicz
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jun 26, 2022
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 21, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2022
Submitted by: Pshifley
Region: Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 16, 2022
Submitted by: robpendergast
Region: Portage County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 19, 2022
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 11, 2022
Submitted by: Bob Crowley
Region: Oxford County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 11, 2022
Submitted by: Bob Crowley
Region: Oxford County, Maine, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 13, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2022
Submitted by: donnatella12
Region: Clinton County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Jul 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2022
Submitted by: rtsmith
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 08, 2022
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 08, 2022
Observation date: Jun 19, 2022
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 19, 2022
Observation date: Jun 11, 2022
Submitted by: mabfrazer
Region: Ocean County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 11, 2022
Observation date: May 30, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 30, 2022
Observation date: May 28, 2022
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 28, 2022
Observation date: May 31, 2021
Submitted by: Jim Moore
Region: Allegany County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 12, 2022
Observation date: Aug 17, 2011
Submitted by: jawinget
Region: Monroe County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Mar 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2020
Submitted by: Chay Rae
Region: Ulster County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Mar 01, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: Ilse Gebhard
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2021
Submitted by: fxbip
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 16, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2017
Submitted by: NikkiBee
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 15, 2022
Observation date: Jun 10, 2018
Submitted by: agenthatchet
Region: Kent County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 12, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2017
Submitted by: Christina Persaud
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 12, 2022
Observation date: Jul 04, 2017
Submitted by: Canuq
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 12, 2022
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