Moths in Kansas: What's Flying Tonight

In Kansas tonight you are most likely to find the small, wasp-mimicking Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva punctella), the Yellow Wave (Haematopis grataria), and the Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra) at a porch light, with the fast-flying White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) hitting flowers at dusk. Late spring adds the Luna Moth (Actias luna) and the Bagworm Moth (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis), while September brings noctuid pests like the Corn Earworm Moth (Helicoverpa zea). Which species show up tonight depends on your exact location and date, so run the live tool for your address.

What's flying in Kansas right now

Kansas sits where eastern woodland moths meet open prairie species, so a single light sheet can pull a real mix. In midsummer the most reliable visitors are the day-and-night Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva punctella), a slim orange-and-white moth tied to invasive tree-of-heaven, alongside small grass moths like Microcrambus-relatives and the snout moth Crambus. The Yellow Wave (Haematopis grataria) and the Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra) are the workhorse small moths you will count by the dozen.

Season by season

Late spring (May): This is your window for the showy Luna Moth (Actias luna), a pale-green giant silk moth whose long hindwing tails are thought to confuse hunting bats. May also turns up the Bagworm Moth (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) and the fast-hovering White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata) nectaring at evening primrose and other prairie blooms. Remember the Luna and other Saturniidae do not feed as adults, so you will only ever see them near lights, never at flowers.

Midsummer (July): Diversity peaks. Expect the Ailanthus Webworm Moth, Yellow Wave, Green Cloverworm Moth, the aquatic-larva Waterlily Leafcutter (Elophila obliteralis), and the Celery Leaftier (Udea rubigalis). Warm, still, moonless July nights are prime, and this is also when National Moth Week lands (July 18-26, 2026).

Early fall (September): The mix shifts toward migratory and crop-associated noctuids. The Corn Earworm Moth (Helicoverpa zea), Green Cloverworm Moth, and Dingy Cutworm (Feltia jaculifera) dominate, with the White-lined Sphinx making a strong second-brood showing at flowers.

Mothing tips for Kansas

• Moths come to UV and short-wavelength light far more strongly than to white LED. A cheap UV or mercury-vapor bulb over a white sheet beats a porch bulb.
• The pull is not goal-seeking attraction; bright light scrambles the angle-to-the-moon they use to fly straight, so they spiral in and settle.
• Pick a warm, humid, moonless night with little wind. Check the live good-night-for-moths score before you set up.
• New to this? Start with mothing for beginners.

See tonight's prediction

Ready to plan? Open the live tool for a Kansas forecast of likely species and a good-mothing-night score for your exact spot, or browse other states from the state index.