Butterflies and Moths of Canada

2637 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

See more recent sightings in Canada

Agonopterix pulvipennella

Observed: Mar 23, 2025

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: Mar 23, 2025

Verified by: rogerdowner

Details

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Observed: Mar 20, 2025

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Mar 22, 2025

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Spiny Looper
Phigalia titea

Observed: Mar 20, 2025

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Mar 22, 2025

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Observed: Mar 20, 2025

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Mar 22, 2025

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Spiny Looper
Phigalia titea

Observed: Mar 19, 2025

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Mar 19, 2025

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Observed: Mar 19, 2025

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Mar 19, 2025

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Observed: Mar 16, 2025

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Mar 17, 2025

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Epinotia arctostaphylana

Observed: Dec 06, 2024

Submitted by: RobertWeeden

Verified: Jan 02, 2025

Verified by: davidwdroppers

Details

Fall Cankerworm Moth
Alsophila pometaria

Observed: Nov 17, 2024

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Nov 17, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Agrochola purpurea

Observed: Nov 15, 2024

Submitted by: jrmbutterfly

Verified: Nov 24, 2024

Verified by: davidwdroppers

Details

The Bruce Spanworm
Operophtera bruceata

Observed: Nov 11, 2024

Submitted by: bobscafe

Verified: Nov 24, 2024

Verified by: davidwdroppers

Details

Autographa californica

Observed: Nov 11, 2024

Submitted by: jrmbutterfly

Verified: Nov 24, 2024

Verified by: davidwdroppers

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.
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.
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.
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.
European Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba	Yellow hindwing and black marginal band. Lacks dark discal spot present in <em>Noctua comes</em>. Forewing color and pattern is variable, ranging from immaculate to well marked.

Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

2637 Species Recorded in Canada

Featured Species

Habrosyne scripta

100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

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Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Agonopterix pulvipennella

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Spiny Looper
Phigalia titea

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Spiny Looper
Phigalia titea

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Epinotia arctostaphylana

Fall Cankerworm Moth
Alsophila pometaria

Agrochola purpurea

The Bruce Spanworm
Operophtera bruceata

Autographa californica

Cabbage White
Pieris rapae

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Virginia Ctenucha
Ctenucha virginica

European Yellow Underwing
Noctua pronuba

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Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Butterflies and Moths of Canada

2637 Species Recorded in Canada

Featured Species

100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Please donate!

Advertise with us!

Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Spring Cankerworm MothPaleacrita vernata

Spiny LooperPhigalia titea

Spring Cankerworm MothPaleacrita vernata

Spiny LooperPhigalia titea

Spring Cankerworm MothPaleacrita vernata

Spring Cankerworm MothPaleacrita vernata

Fall Cankerworm MothAlsophila pometaria

The Bruce SpanwormOperophtera bruceata

Cabbage WhitePieris rapae

MonarchDanaus plexippus

Mourning CloakNymphalis antiopa

Northern CrescentPhyciodes cocyta

Clouded SulphurColias philodice

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta

Polyphemus mothAntheraea polyphemus

Black SwallowtailPapilio polyxenes

Virginia CtenuchaCtenucha virginica

European Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronuba

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Spiny Looper
Phigalia titea

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Spiny Looper
Phigalia titea

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Spring Cankerworm Moth
Paleacrita vernata

Fall Cankerworm Moth
Alsophila pometaria

The Bruce Spanworm
Operophtera bruceata

Cabbage White
Pieris rapae

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Clouded Sulphur
Colias philodice

Red Admiral
Vanessa atalanta

Polyphemus moth
Antheraea polyphemus

Black Swallowtail
Papilio polyxenes

Virginia Ctenucha
Ctenucha virginica

European Yellow Underwing
Noctua pronuba