Moths in Delaware: What's Flying Tonight

In Delaware right now, mid-summer nights belong to small, common species like the Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva punctella), the Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa), the Tufted Bird-dropping Moth's cousins, and the Dot-lined Angle (Epimecis hortaria). Earlier in spring, the state's showpiece is the Luna Moth (Actias luna), one of the giant silk moths, alongside Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moths (Malacosoma americana). The exact mix on any given night depends on your date and location, so Delaware's lineup shifts from week to week through the season.

What's flying in Delaware right now

In the heart of summer, Delaware's most-recorded moths are small and easy to overlook but worth knowing. The Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva punctella) is a slender, orange-and-white day-and-night flier tied to the invasive tree-of-heaven, so it turns up anywhere that tree has spread. The Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa) is a striking yellow-and-slate tiger moth whose caterpillars graze on lichen and algae growing on bark. You'll also see the Common Idia and Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra), the Faint-spotted Palthis (Palthis asopialis), the Dogbane Tiger Moth (Cycnia tenera), and the bark-mimicking Tulip-tree Beauty (Epimecis hortaria) drawn to lit windows and porch lights.

Spring vs late summer

Delaware's seasons read very differently at the sheet. In May, the headline act is the Luna Moth (Actias luna) - a pale-green giant silk moth with long, trailing hindwing tails thought to throw off hunting bats' echolocation. Spring also brings Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moths (Malacosoma americana) and the Tulip-tree Beauty (Epimecis hortaria). Note that adult Luna Moths have no working mouthparts and never feed; they live only a week or two to mate, so a fresh, unworn Luna is a lucky catch.

By September, the silk moths are gone and the night shifts to smaller noctuids and crambids: the Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra), the Common Tan Wave (Pleuroprucha insulsaria), Tetanolita mynesalis, the migratory Beet Webworm (Spoladea recurvalis), and again the Faint-spotted Palthis (Palthis asopialis). Fall mothing in Delaware rewards patience more than spectacle.

Local mothing tips

• A UV or mercury-vapor light over a white sheet pulls in far more moths than a plain white LED porch bulb. Moths come strongly to short-wavelength light because it disrupts their flight orientation, not because they are hunting the bulb.
• Warm, humid, still, moonless nights are best. Try our good-night-for-moths score to pick your evening.
• Delaware's coastal plain, the Brandywine valley, and state parks like White Clay Creek all make easy backyard-to-woodland mothing.

See tonight's Delaware list

Run the live tool to get the species most likely flying at your exact spot tonight, pulled from open GBIF records. New to this? Start with mothing for beginners. And mark your calendar for National Moth Week (July 18-26, 2026). You can also browse all states or compare with nearby New Jersey.