Moths in Louisiana: What's Flying Tonight

Louisiana's wetlands shape its moth fauna: in July you will find aquatic-larva species like the Waterlily Leafcutter (Elophila obliteralis) and Samea multiplicalis, plus the Virginia Creeper Sphinx (Darapsa myron) and the small Acontia leo. May brings the pale-green Luna Moth (Actias luna) and the hairy Salt Marsh Moth (Estigmene acrea), while September adds the Fall Webworm Moth (Hyphantria cunea) and the scarlet-bodied wasp moth Cosmosoma myrodora. What flies at your light tonight depends on your exact spot and date, so run the live tool.

Most-recorded moths in Louisiana in July

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Acontia leo	Noctuidae	49
2	Marimatha nigrofimbria	Noctuidae	44
3	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	40
4	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	40
5	Caloptilia triadicae	Gracillariidae	38
6	Clepsis peritana	Tortricidae	35
7	Anageshna primordialis	Crambidae	34
8	Virginia Creeper Sphinx Darapsa myron	Sphingidae	34
9	Idia americalis	Erebidae	33
10	Catocala maestosa	Erebidae	32
11	Leptostales pannaria	Geometridae	31
12	Microcrambus elegans	Crambidae	30
13	Sciota uvinella	Pyralidae	29
14	Idaea tacturata	Geometridae	27
15	Prochoerodes lineola	Geometridae	26
16	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	26
17	Luna Moth Actias luna	Saturniidae	25
18	Acharia stimulea	Limacodidae	24

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

What's flying in Louisiana right now

With bayous, marshes, and ponds everywhere, Louisiana lights pull a strong showing of moths whose caterpillars live on or in water. In July the Waterlily Leafcutter relatives are joined by Samea multiplicalis and Anageshna primordialis, small crambid and pyralid moths tied to aquatic and marsh plants. Working the flowers at dusk is the Virginia Creeper Sphinx (Darapsa myron), a fast hawk moth, while the tiny Acontia leo and the tree-of-heaven specialist Caloptilia triadicae fill out the sheet.

Season by season

Late spring (May): Your best shot at the Luna Moth (Actias luna), a pale-green giant silk moth whose long tails are thought to jam bat sonar. Adults of this and other Saturniidae do not feed, living only a week or two to mate. May also brings the hairy Salt Marsh Moth (Estigmene acrea), the Fall Webworm Moth (Hyphantria cunea), and the aquatic Waterlily Leafcutter (Elophila obliteralis).

Midsummer (July): The wetland-moth peak: Waterlily Leafcutter, Samea multiplicalis, Anageshna primordialis, Acontia leo, Marimatha nigrofimbria, and the Virginia Creeper Sphinx. Warm, humid, moonless July nights are ideal, and National Moth Week (July 18-26, 2026) is the perfect time to set up a sheet.

Early fall (September): The lineup shifts to the Ailanthus Webworm Moth (Atteva punctella), the Fall Webworm Moth (Hyphantria cunea), and the striking scarlet-bodied wasp moth Cosmosoma myrodora, whose males pick up defensive alkaloids from dogfennel. Samea multiplicalis and Samea ecclesialis round it out.

Mothing tips for Louisiana

Near water, the diversity is highest. Set a UV or mercury-vapor light over a white sheet within sight of a pond or marsh edge.
Moths respond most to UV and short-wavelength light; white LED underperforms. The light disrupts their orientation rather than luring them.
Heat and humidity work in your favor here, but skip bright moonlit nights. Check the good-night-for-moths score first.
New to it? Start with mothing for beginners.

See tonight's prediction

Open the live tool for a Louisiana forecast and a good-mothing-night score for your exact location, or browse other states from the state index.

Moths in Louisiana by month (full year)

January

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Phigalia denticulata	Geometridae	14
2	Hypena scabra	Erebidae	8
3	Udea rubigalis	Crambidae	6
4	Salt Marsh Moth Estigmene acrea	Erebidae	6
5	Enyo lugubris	Sphingidae	4
6	Ilexia intractata	Geometridae	3
7	Zale lunata	Erebidae	3
8	Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus	Saturniidae	3
9	Psaphida styracis	Noctuidae	2
10	Iridopsis defectaria	Geometridae	2

February

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Hypena scabra	Erebidae	21
2	Eutrapela clemataria	Geometridae	13
3	Phigalia denticulata	Geometridae	13
4	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	12
5	Clepsis peritana	Tortricidae	11
6	Cleora sublunaria	Geometridae	10
7	Phigalia strigataria	Geometridae	10
8	Udea rubigalis	Crambidae	10
9	Plusiodonta compressipalpis	Erebidae	10
10	Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus	Saturniidae	9

March

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Luna Moth Actias luna	Saturniidae	72
2	Malacosoma americana	Lasiocampidae	52
3	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	51
4	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	48
5	Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus	Saturniidae	36
6	Nadata gibbosa	Notodontidae	25
7	Alypia octomaculata	Noctuidae	25
8	Eutrapela clemataria	Geometridae	22
9	Hypena scabra	Erebidae	21
10	Eudryas unio	Noctuidae	21

April

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth Malacosoma disstria	Lasiocampidae	113
2	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	89
3	Orgyia detrita	Erebidae	55
4	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	52
5	Malacosoma americana	Lasiocampidae	48
6	Salt Marsh Moth Estigmene acrea	Erebidae	48
7	Acrolophus mycetophagus	Tineidae	36
8	Luna Moth Actias luna	Saturniidae	36
9	Clepsis peritana	Tortricidae	35
10	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	33

May

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	74
2	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	48
3	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	39
4	Luna Moth Actias luna	Saturniidae	32
5	Salt Marsh Moth Estigmene acrea	Erebidae	32
6	Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth Malacosoma disstria	Lasiocampidae	30
7	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	29
8	Galgula partita	Noctuidae	21
9	Cisseps fulvicollis	Erebidae	20
10	Epimecis hortaria	Geometridae	18

June

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	63
2	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	57
3	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	37
4	Anacampsis coverdalella	Gelechiidae	27
5	Prochoerodes lineola	Geometridae	25
6	Cisseps fulvicollis	Erebidae	20
7	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	20
8	Catocala sappho	Erebidae	18
9	Io Moth Automeris io	Saturniidae	18
10	Cenopis reticulatana	Tortricidae	17

July

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Acontia leo	Noctuidae	49
2	Marimatha nigrofimbria	Noctuidae	44
3	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	40
4	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	40
5	Caloptilia triadicae	Gracillariidae	38
6	Clepsis peritana	Tortricidae	35
7	Anageshna primordialis	Crambidae	34
8	Virginia Creeper Sphinx Darapsa myron	Sphingidae	34
9	Idia americalis	Erebidae	33
10	Catocala maestosa	Erebidae	32

August

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Marimatha nigrofimbria	Noctuidae	49
2	Imperial Moth Eacles imperialis	Saturniidae	33
3	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	32
4	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	30
5	Virginia Creeper Sphinx Darapsa myron	Sphingidae	29
6	Acontia leo	Noctuidae	28
7	Samea ecclesialis	Crambidae	28
8	Spoladea recurvalis	Crambidae	28
9	Io Moth Automeris io	Saturniidae	28
10	Ailanthus Webworm Moth Atteva punctella	Attevidae	27

September

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Ailanthus Webworm Moth Atteva punctella	Attevidae	33
2	Cosmosoma myrodora	Erebidae	30
3	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	25
4	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	21
5	Samea ecclesialis	Crambidae	20
6	Enyo lugubris	Sphingidae	18
7	Xylophanes tersa	Sphingidae	18
8	Datana major	Notodontidae	18
9	Idaea tacturata	Geometridae	17
10	Hypena scabra	Erebidae	17

October

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	44
2	Cosmosoma myrodora	Erebidae	37
3	Enyo lugubris	Sphingidae	36
4	Herpetogramma phaeopteralis	Crambidae	36
5	Samea ecclesialis	Crambidae	35
6	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	32
7	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	28
8	Schinia arcigera	Noctuidae	22
9	Ailanthus Webworm Moth Atteva punctella	Attevidae	22
10	Idaea tacturata	Geometridae	15

November

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	44
2	Samea ecclesialis	Crambidae	15
3	Cosmosoma myrodora	Erebidae	15
4	Anticarsia gemmatalis	Erebidae	13
5	Enyo lugubris	Sphingidae	11
6	Samea multiplicalis	Crambidae	11
7	Cisseps fulvicollis	Erebidae	11
8	Choephora fungorum	Noctuidae	10
9	Leptostales pannaria	Geometridae	9
10	Herpetogramma phaeopteralis	Crambidae	9

December

#	Species	Family	Records
1	Hypena scabra	Erebidae	17
2	Iridopsis defectaria	Geometridae	11
3	Hemileuca maia	Saturniidae	8
4	Cisseps fulvicollis	Erebidae	7
5	Samea ecclesialis	Crambidae	6
6	Enyo lugubris	Sphingidae	6
7	Pyrrharctia isabella	Erebidae	6
8	Elophila obliteralis	Crambidae	5
9	Cosmosoma myrodora	Erebidae	5
10	Hyphantria cunea	Erebidae	5

Frequently asked

What are the small moths flying near my pond in Louisiana?

Likely aquatic-larva crambids and pyralids such as the Waterlily Leafcutter (Elophila obliteralis), Samea multiplicalis, or Anageshna primordialis. Their caterpillars feed on waterlily and other marsh plants, so they swarm lights near water.

Do luna moths live in Louisiana?

Yes. The Luna Moth (Actias luna) occurs in Louisiana and is most common in late spring, around May. Look for its pale-green wings and long tails at UV lights; adults do not feed and live only a week or two.

What is the red-bodied moth I saw in late summer?

Possibly Cosmosoma myrodora, the scarlet-bodied wasp moth, which appears in Louisiana in September. It is a harmless day- and night-active tiger moth relative with clear wings and a bright red body.

When is the best time to see moths in Louisiana?

Warm, humid, moonless summer nights are best, and July is the most diverse month. National Moth Week, July 18-26, 2026, is an ideal stretch to run a light.

Can this tool identify a moth from a picture?

No. It forecasts likely species by your location and date using open GBIF records. 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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