Nuttall's sheepmoth
Hemileuca nuttalli (Strecker, 1875)
Family: Saturniidae
Subfamily: Hemileucinae
Identification: Upperside of hindwing is yellow, forewing is usually a lighter yellow to cream. Both wings have black markings which in some individuals are very wide.
Wing Span: 2 11/16 - 3 1/4 inches (6.9 - 8.3 cm).
Life History: Adults emerge in the morning and mate in the early afternoon. Females lay eggs in rings around host plant stems. Eggs overwinter and hatch in May and June. Young caterpillars feed together in groups and when 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. Cocoons overwinter and in the spring the adults emerge.
Flight: One brood from July-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), snowberry (Symphoricarpos), currant (Ribes), and desert sweet (Chamaebatiaria millefolium).
Adult Food: Adults do not feed.
Habitat: Sagebrush scrub, pinyon-juniper woodland, and sagebrush meadows.
Range: Southern British Columbia south down the east side of the Sierra Nevada, east to western Montana, western Wyoming, and western Colorado.
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 61 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 17, 2024
Submitted by: RossB
Region: Blaine County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 21, 2024
Observation date: Aug 27, 2024
Submitted by: Quabbi
Region: Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 18, 2023
Submitted by: flyinganvil
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 24, 2023
Observation date: Aug 17, 2018
Submitted by: Mmoonmig
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Sep 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 23, 2021
Submitted by: lile1
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2019
Submitted by: Enidan
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: mcduck
Verified date: Mar 09, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2017
Submitted by: Tyler Innes
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2013
Submitted by: Motoguy82
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 25, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2010
Submitted by: krista casal
Region: Meagher County, Montana, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 24, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2013
Submitted by: Tgehris
Region: Kootenai County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 19, 2022
Observation date: Jul 23, 2016
Submitted by: jellis
Region: Fresno County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Oct 14, 2021
Observation date: Aug 09, 2009
Submitted by: TaliceWACA
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: ishaan2009
Verified date: Oct 14, 2021
Observation date: Aug 05, 2017
Submitted by: mmalmquist
Region: Salt Lake County, Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 05, 2021
Observation date: Aug 16, 2017
Submitted by: ct2
Region: Wasatch County, Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 05, 2021
Observation date: Jul 30, 2017
Submitted by: kcmatt
Region: Wasatch County, Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 05, 2021
Observation date: Aug 12, 2019
Submitted by: Jim Cane
Region: Utah, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 02, 2021
Observation date: Jul 16, 2019
Submitted by: kristaruessink
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: charleseharp
Verified date: Jul 27, 2019
Observation date: Aug 20, 2017
Submitted by: deanf2015@gmail.com
Region: Washington County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 23, 2017
Observation date: Aug 05, 2015
Submitted by: jessiepaul
Region: Weber County, Utah, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Dec 09, 2015
Observation date: Aug 31, 2014
Submitted by: jimr@jimrhuff.com
Region: Butte County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Jan 28, 2015
Observation date: Aug 18, 2012
Submitted by: Todd Stefanic
Region: Butte County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Jan 28, 2015
Observation date: Aug 22, 2014
Submitted by: penolope pequop
Region: Elko County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Josiah Gilbert
Verified date: Sep 15, 2014
Observation date: Aug 08, 2014
Submitted by: dickshooter
Region: Malheur County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Aug 11, 2014
Observation date: Sep 01, 2011
Submitted by: Ethan Hall
Region: Morgan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: Ranger Steve Mueller
Verified date: Oct 01, 2013
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