Western sheepmoth
Hemileuca eglanterina (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Highly variable. Upperside of forewing is yellow-orange to cream to pink with black markings. Upperside of hindwing is yellow-orange to orange with narrow to wide black markings. Form denudata (northwestern Wyoming west to Washington, south through the Central Valley of California) has no markings on either wing. Subspecies shastaensis (northern California and southern Oregon) has a pink forewing with diffuse black markings or is mostly black with some pink spots.
Wing Span: 2 9/16 - 3 7/16 inches (6.5 - 8.7 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in early morning and mate in late morning. Females lay eggs in rings on plant stems. Eggs overwinter and hatch in April and May. Young caterpillars feed together in groups and when they are older they feed alone. Fully-grown caterpillars pupate in loose cocoons in the leaf litter or in burrows in soft soil, and adults emerge from July-September. At high elevations and northern latitudes, 2 years are needed to complete development. The cocoons overwinter and in the spring the adults emerge and start the cycle again.
Flight: One brood from June-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Mountain lilac (Ceanothus), mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata), bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), snowberry (Symphoricarpos), currant (Ribes), wild rose (Rosa), willow (Salix) and others.
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: From sea level to at least 8400 feet in a variety of habitats including chaparral, pine and redwood forests, oak woodlands, and riparian areas.
Range: Southeastern Alberta west to Vancouver Island, British Columbia; south to central Montana, Wyoming, central Colorado, northern Arizona, and southern California.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 235 verified sightings
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Observation date: Aug 05, 2024
Submitted by: bkzonline
Region: Bonner County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 06, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: bkzonline
Region: Bonner County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20240717_100409.jpg?itok=6oj47SRV)
Observation date: Jul 17, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 20, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p6257352.jpg?itok=YkKU20dl)
Observation date: Jun 25, 2024
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 25, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0139_9.jpg?itok=XtOKGnVz)
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: Edie
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 04, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p1060065.jpg?itok=L-LzLwFq)
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/5e9ac7e8-0851-406a-9ff7-7dfd3cb1b417.jpeg?itok=j1VHeHGW)
Observation date: Jul 21, 2023
Submitted by: dee4nativeflora
Region: Jackson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 25, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/21731092_1713757061991899_5258228222254917285_n.jpg?itok=uM9Pe8y3)
Observation date: Aug 31, 2017
Submitted by: cypress72
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Jul 23, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/sheep_moth.jpg?itok=XmH21_oz)
Observation date: Sep 02, 2017
Submitted by: scottmillerssu
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_9414_3.jpg?itok=5zowMnOE)
Observation date: Aug 24, 2017
Submitted by: mcmahoney
Region: Lassen County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Jul 22, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_5494_4.jpg?itok=eOrkgTC_)
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Jul 19, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_5502_1.jpg?itok=-88TKsEh)
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Jul 19, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20230712_105956.jpg?itok=d9THfPH2)
Observation date: Jul 12, 2023
Submitted by: Shirlash
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
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Observation date: Jul 12, 2023
Submitted by: Shirlash
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 15, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_2994_1.jpeg?itok=J-vx63vT)
Observation date: Jul 10, 2023
Submitted by: rocu
Region: Lewis And Clark County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 14, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_7305_0.jpeg?itok=h5ImQ4Qz)
Observation date: Jul 09, 2023
Submitted by: amelieL
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 09, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p7033259.jpg?itok=8ljhCE1K)
Observation date: Jul 03, 2023
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 03, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/fb_img_1467581188816.jpg?itok=_WOIi2ch)
Observation date: Jul 02, 2016
Submitted by: 29karat
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 02, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/unid_moth_maki_thompson_peak.jpg?itok=gqLHmuHC)
Observation date: Jul 26, 2022
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Oct 26, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pseudohazis_hera_pica_maki.jpg?itok=f-VgH5gV)
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Eureka County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p8120532.jpg?itok=KrKlMgCe)
Observation date: Aug 12, 2022
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 15, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p7080256.jpg?itok=lnE3UDwm)
Observation date: Jul 08, 2022
Submitted by: aguasonic
Region: Tulare County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20220731_164958.jpg?itok=9O7uzI0X)
Observation date: Jul 13, 2022
Submitted by: Jodelhole
Region: Ferry County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 02, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/ff002671-a2ad-4b60-86c7-8a7219f6c278.jpeg?itok=sYUi7YrH)
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: Goodjuju
Region: Crook County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
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