Moths in Maine: What's Flying Tonight

Maine's north-woods nights are led in July by the pink-and-yellow Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda), the metallic-blue Virginia Ctenucha (Ctenucha virginica), and the Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris). The Rosy Maple Moth also lights up May, while September shifts to the Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae), the woolly-bear Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), and the American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana). Which species appear at your light tonight depends on your location and date, so check the live tool.

What's flying in Maine right now

Maine's spruce-fir and hardwood forests give it a distinctly northern moth fauna. The summer signature here is the Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda), a small, cotton-candy pink-and-yellow giant silk moth that is a crowd favorite. Sharing the July sheet are the day-flying, metallic blue-black Virginia Ctenucha (Ctenucha virginica), the Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma americana), and the Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris). One name to know honestly: Euproctis chrysorrhoea, the browntail moth, an introduced pest in coastal Maine whose caterpillar hairs cause skin irritation.

Season by season

Late spring (May): The Rosy Maple Moth leads again, joined by the big Curve-toothed Geometer (Eutrapela clemataria), the Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth, the Arched Hooktip (Drepana arcuata), and the Virginia Ctenucha. Spring nights run cool here, so warm spells matter.

Midsummer (July): Peak diversity: Rosy Maple Moth, Virginia Ctenucha, Banded Tussock Moth, the geometers Scopula limboundata (Large Lace-border) and Macaria pustularia, and Caripeta divisata (Gray Spruce Looper). Warm, moonless July nights are best, and National Moth Week (July 18-26, 2026) is ideal for a sheet.

Early fall (September): The lineup turns to tussocks and the classic fall tiger moths. The Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae), Banded Tussock Moth, Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella, the woolly bear), and American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana) dominate. Heads up for families: hickory tussock, browntail, and American dagger caterpillars all carry irritating hairs, so look but do not handle.

Mothing tips for Maine

• Maine nights cool fast. Warm, humid, still evenings draw far more moths than cold clear ones.
• Use a UV or mercury-vapor light over a white sheet. Moths respond most to short-wavelength light, and white LED underperforms.
• The bulb is not a lure; bright light disrupts the angle moths hold to the moon, so they spiral in and land.
• Skip bright moonlit nights and check the good-night-for-moths score before heading out.

See tonight's prediction

Open the live tool for a Maine forecast and a good-mothing-night score for your exact spot, or compare with neighbors like New Hampshire and Vermont from the state index.