Moths in Colorado: What's Flying Tonight

In Colorado, the most reliable moth is the White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata), a hovering nectar-feeding hawk moth seen from May through September. High-country summer nights add the day-flying police-car moth (Gnophaela vermiculata) and the spotted tiger moth Lophocampa maculata, while fall brings the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) - the adult of the familiar woolly bear caterpillar. Apple-growing areas also see the codling moth (Cydia pomonella). What's actually flying depends on elevation and the night, so the live tool below ranks Colorado's most likely species for your location and date from open GBIF records.

Most-recorded moths in Colorado in July

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Tyta luctuosa	Erebidae	103
2	Gnophaela vermiculata	Erebidae	64
3	White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata	Sphingidae	60
4	Cydia pomonella	Tortricidae	51
5	Chrysoteuchia topiarius	Crambidae	50
6	Idaea gemmata	Geometridae	49
7	Idia aemula	Erebidae	47
8	Apamea devastator	Noctuidae	42
9	Hypsopygia costalis	Pyralidae	36
10	Nomophila nearctica	Crambidae	34
11	Hypercompe permaculata	Erebidae	34
12	Oegoconia quadripuncta	Autostichidae	27
13	Idia lubricalis	Erebidae	24
14	Smerinthus cerisyi	Sphingidae	24
15	Emmelina monodactyla	Pterophoridae	24
16	Schinia jaguarina	Noctuidae	23
17	Taygete decemmaculella	Autostichidae	23
18	Plutella xylostella	Plutellidae	22

Want tonight's list for your exact spot plus a good-mothing-night score? Open the live tool →

What's flying in Colorado right now

Colorado mothing is shaped by elevation - the plains, foothills, and montane forests each run on different timing. Across all of them, the White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) is the standout: a powerful hawk moth that feeds at flowers as an adult and turns up at lights spring through fall. Right now, in early summer, montane meadows also host the day-flying police-car moth (Gnophaela vermiculata), boldly marked black-and-white, and the orchard pest codling moth (Cydia pomonella).

Season by season

Spring (May)

May brings the western tent caterpillar moth Malacosoma californica, the army cutworm moth Euxoa auxiliaris (the famous "miller moth" that floods Front Range homes), and Glover's silk moth Hyalophora gloveri - a large reddish giant silk moth whose adult never feeds. The White-lined Sphinx is already active.

Summer (July)

July in the high country is the richest stretch: the police-car moth (Gnophaela vermiculata) and spotted tiger moth Lophocampa maculata fly by day and dusk, alongside the White-lined Sphinx, the grass moth Chrysoteuchia topiarius, and noctuids like Apamea devastator and Idia aemula.

Fall (September)

Early fall belongs to the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) - the adult of the black-and-rust woolly bear caterpillar everyone knows - plus the spotted tiger moth Lophocampa maculata, the corn earworm moth Helicoverpa zea, and the dart moth Feltia jaculifera.

Local mothing tips

Elevation matters: a species peaking on the plains may emerge weeks later in the mountains. Note your altitude when you log sightings.
Use UV or mercury-vapor light over a white sheet; moths respond most strongly to UV and short wavelengths, and gather because bright light disrupts their flight orientation.
Cool montane nights can shut moths down fast - target the warmest, calmest, moonless windows.
See what makes a good night for moths and mothing for beginners.

See tonight's Colorado list

Run the live prediction tool to rank tonight's likely moths at your location, or browse all states. For a high-desert comparison, see Utah. National Moth Week is July 18-26, 2026.

Moths in Colorado by month (full year)

January

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Malacosoma californica	Lasiocampidae	5
2	Plodia interpunctella	Pyralidae	5
3	Agonopterix alstroemeriana	Depressariidae	2
4	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	2
5	Euxoa auxiliaris	Noctuidae	1
6	Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus	Saturniidae	1
7	Ufeus satyricus	Noctuidae	1
8	Melanchra picta	Noctuidae	1

February

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Ectypia clio	Erebidae	3
2	Emmelina monodactyla	Pterophoridae	2
3	Perizoma custodiata	Geometridae	1
4	Paleacrita vernata	Geometridae	1
5	Hydriomena furcata	Geometridae	1
6	Ethmia discostrigella	Ethmiidae	1
7	Plutella xylostella	Plutellidae	1
8	Nadata gibbosa	Notodontidae	1
9	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	1
10	Ufeus satyricus	Noctuidae	1

March

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Orthosia hibisci	Noctuidae	4
2	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	4
3	Phigalia titea	Geometridae	3
4	Paleacrita vernata	Geometridae	3
5	Chionodes mediofuscella	Gelechiidae	3
6	Ethmia discostrigella	Ethmiidae	3
7	Plodia interpunctella	Pyralidae	2
8	Leptarctia californiae	Erebidae	2
9	Ulosyneda valens	Erebidae	2
10	Ufeus satyricus	Noctuidae	2

April

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Tyta luctuosa	Erebidae	21
2	Egira variabilis	Noctuidae	11
3	Plutella xylostella	Plutellidae	8
4	Loxostege cereralis	Crambidae	7
5	Epirrhoe plebeculata	Geometridae	6
6	Litocala sexsignata	Erebidae	6
7	Orthosia hibisci	Noctuidae	5
8	Litholomia napaea	Noctuidae	5
9	Rhyacionia neomexicana	Tortricidae	5
10	Malacosoma californica	Lasiocampidae	4

May

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Malacosoma californica	Lasiocampidae	42
2	White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata	Sphingidae	34
3	Euxoa auxiliaris	Noctuidae	32
4	Hyalophora gloveri	Saturniidae	20
5	Tyta luctuosa	Erebidae	20
6	Plutella xylostella	Plutellidae	17
7	Schinia snowi	Noctuidae	12
8	Loxostege cereralis	Crambidae	12
9	Anarta crotchii	Noctuidae	9
10	Drasteria pallescens	Erebidae	8

June

#	Species	Family	Records
1	White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata	Sphingidae	47
2	Tyta luctuosa	Erebidae	45
3	Noctua pronuba	Noctuidae	35
4	Malacosoma californica	Lasiocampidae	32
5	Smerinthus cerisyi	Sphingidae	32
6	Hyalophora gloveri	Saturniidae	31
7	Sphinx vashti	Sphingidae	26
8	Lophocampa maculata	Erebidae	26
9	Cydia pomonella	Tortricidae	26
10	Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus	Saturniidae	23

July

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Tyta luctuosa	Erebidae	103
2	Gnophaela vermiculata	Erebidae	64
3	White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata	Sphingidae	60
4	Cydia pomonella	Tortricidae	51
5	Chrysoteuchia topiarius	Crambidae	50
6	Idaea gemmata	Geometridae	49
7	Idia aemula	Erebidae	47
8	Apamea devastator	Noctuidae	42
9	Hypsopygia costalis	Pyralidae	36
10	Nomophila nearctica	Crambidae	34

August

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Gnophaela vermiculata	Erebidae	152
2	White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata	Sphingidae	85
3	Tyta luctuosa	Erebidae	39
4	Cydia pomonella	Tortricidae	25
5	Schinia grandimedia	Noctuidae	24
6	Orgyia pseudotsugata	Erebidae	24
7	Arctia caja	Erebidae	24
8	Apamea devastator	Noctuidae	22
9	Noctua pronuba	Noctuidae	22
10	Schinia cumatilis	Noctuidae	21

September

#	Species	Family	Records
1	White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata	Sphingidae	64
2	Helicoverpa zea	Noctuidae	45
3	Lophocampa maculata	Erebidae	39
4	Feltia jaculifera	Noctuidae	30
5	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	22
6	Pseudanthoecia tumida	Noctuidae	18
7	Tyta luctuosa	Erebidae	15
8	Apamea burgessi	Noctuidae	14
9	Noctua pronuba	Noctuidae	14
10	Cucullia dorsalis	Noctuidae	12

October

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Hemileuca oliviae	Saturniidae	162
2	Helicoverpa zea	Noctuidae	57
3	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	10
4	Euxoa medialis	Noctuidae	9
5	Sympistis augustus	Noctuidae	8
6	Lophocampa maculata	Erebidae	8
7	Plutella xylostella	Plutellidae	7
8	Feltia jaculifera	Noctuidae	7
9	Erannis tiliaria	Geometridae	6
10	Selicanis cinereola	Noctuidae	5

November

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Emmelina monodactyla	Pterophoridae	5
2	Alsophila pometaria	Geometridae	3
3	Hemileuca diana	Saturniidae	2
4	Marmara gulosa	Gracillariidae	2
5	Alucita montana	Alucitidae	1
6	Agathodes monstralis	Crambidae	1
7	Erannis tiliaria	Geometridae	1
8	Euhagena nebraskae	Sesiidae	1
9	Ufeus plicatus	Noctuidae	1
10	Peridroma saucia	Noctuidae	1

December

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Hypena scabra	Erebidae	1
2	Alucita montana	Alucitidae	1
3	Alsophila pometaria	Geometridae	1
4	Ephestiodes gilvescentella	Pyralidae	1
5	White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineata	Sphingidae	1
6	Lacinipolia renigera	Noctuidae	1

Frequently asked

What are the miller moths swarming Colorado homes?

Those are army cutworm moths (Euxoa auxiliaris), which migrate through the Front Range in spring. They're harmless, don't breed indoors, and move on to the mountains to feed on flowers.

What is the woolly bear caterpillar moth in Colorado?

The woolly bear grows up into the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), a tan moth most often seen at lights in late summer and fall. Both stages are harmless.

What hovering hawk moth do I see in Colorado gardens?

The White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata), which hovers at flowers like a hummingbird and feeds on nectar. It's Colorado's most common sphinx, flying from May into September.

Why are there fewer moths at high elevation in Colorado?

Cold mountain nights and a short season compress activity. Moths there emerge later and fly only on the warmest, calmest nights, so timing and elevation both shape what you'll see.

How do I identify a moth I photographed in Colorado?

This site predicts likely species by location and date rather than reading photos. For photo ID, use iNaturalist or Seek, BugGuide, the Moth Photographers Group, or BAMONA.

Top moth species per month from open-licensed GBIF records (CC0/CC-BY), aggregated over an approximate state bounding box. Butterflies excluded. GBIF download DOI: 10.15468/dl.3w3w76. Independent project; not affiliated with iNaturalist or Butterfly Conservation.

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