Butterflies and Moths of Canada

2607 Species Recorded in Canada

Top 20 Species Checklist All Photographs

100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

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Most Recent Sightings in Canada

See more recent sightings in Canada

Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Aglais milberti

Observed: Jun 25, 2024

Submitted by: Bwabbit

Verified: Jun 25, 2024

Verified by: Paul Prappas

Details

Virginia creeper sphinx
Darapsa myron

Observed: Jun 25, 2024

Submitted by: Coach E

Verified: Jun 26, 2024

Verified by: Sue Gregoire

Details

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: John Terpstra

Verified: Jun 26, 2024

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: John Terpstra

Verified: Jun 26, 2024

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Northern Cloudywing
Thorybes pylades

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: John Terpstra

Verified: Jun 25, 2024

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Eastern Comma
Polygonia comma

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: BeaLaporte

Verified: Jun 26, 2024

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Silvery Checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteis

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: Jun 25, 2024

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Great Spangled Fritillary
Speyeria cybele

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: Jun 25, 2024

Verified by: jmgesell

Details

Herpetogramma aquilonalis

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: Sometimes

Verified: Jun 26, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Dark Marathyssa Moth
Marathyssa inficita

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jun 25, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

The Small Engrailed
Ectropis crepuscularia

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jun 25, 2024

Verified by: curtis.lehman

Details

Small Baileya
Baileya australis

Observed: Jun 24, 2024

Submitted by: rapids

Verified: Jun 26, 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.
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.
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

2607 Species Recorded in Canada

100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Visit the BAMONA Shop

Please donate!

Advertise with us!

Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Aglais milberti

Virginia creeper sphinx
Darapsa myron

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Northern Cloudywing
Thorybes pylades

Eastern Comma
Polygonia comma

Silvery Checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteis

Great Spangled Fritillary
Speyeria cybele

Herpetogramma aquilonalis

Dark Marathyssa Moth
Marathyssa inficita

The Small Engrailed
Ectropis crepuscularia

Small Baileya
Baileya australis

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

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

2607 Species Recorded in Canada

100 Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Please donate!

Advertise with us!

Most Recent Sightings in Canada

Milbert's TortoiseshellAglais milberti

Virginia creeper sphinxDarapsa myron

MonarchDanaus plexippus

Northern CrescentPhyciodes cocyta

Northern CloudywingThorybes pylades

Eastern CommaPolygonia comma

Silvery CheckerspotChlosyne nycteis

Great Spangled FritillarySpeyeria cybele

Dark Marathyssa MothMarathyssa inficita

The Small EngrailedEctropis crepuscularia

Small BaileyaBaileya australis

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

Hummingbird ClearwingHemaris thysbe

Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Aglais milberti

Virginia creeper sphinx
Darapsa myron

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

Northern Crescent
Phyciodes cocyta

Northern Cloudywing
Thorybes pylades

Eastern Comma
Polygonia comma

Silvery Checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteis

Great Spangled Fritillary
Speyeria cybele

Dark Marathyssa Moth
Marathyssa inficita

The Small Engrailed
Ectropis crepuscularia

Small Baileya
Baileya australis

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

Hummingbird Clearwing
Hemaris thysbe