Moths in Vermont: What's Flying Tonight

Vermont's summer nights bring a lively mix, including the day-flying Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) that hovers at flowers, the big-eyed Ceratomia undulosa (Waved Sphinx), and the invasive Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar). The candy-pink Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda) is a spring highlight, while fall belongs to tussock moths and the woolly bear's adult, the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella). Enter your location and date in the live tool to see which moths are flying at your spot tonight.

What's flying in Vermont right now

Vermont's maple-and-birch woods make for excellent mothing, and July offers real variety. The Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) is a plump, clear-winged hawk moth that hovers at flowers in daylight, so you may catch it before you ever set up a light. After dark, the big-eyed Waved Sphinx (Ceratomia undulosa) comes to lights, along with the Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecata). You will also see the invasive Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar), an introduced defoliating pest worth knowing on sight, plus the geometer Macaria pustularia, the lichen moth Hypoprepia fucosa, the tiny grass-veneer Microcrambus elegans, and the Arched Hooktip (Drepana arcuata).

Spring vs fall moths

In May, the showpiece is the Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda), a small pink-and-yellow giant silk moth whose adults, like all saturniids, never feed and live only a week or two to mate. It shares the spring sheet with the Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth (Malacosoma americana), the Curve-toothed Geometer (Eutrapela clemataria), the Arched Hooktip (Drepana arcuata), and Cladara limitaria. By September, the cast turns hairy: the Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae) and Banded Tussock Moth (Halysidota tessellaris) are out (their caterpillars have irritating hairs, so don't handle them), along with the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), the Hemlock Looper (Lambdina fiscellaria), and the bedstraw hawk moth Hyles gallii. In short, May is Rosy Maple season, while September is tussock-and-woolly-bear season.

Local mothing tips

• Vermont nights cool fast even in summer, so pick a warm, humid, overcast evening with little moon. See what makes a good night for moths.
• A UV or mercury-vapor light on a white sheet beats a plain LED porch light. Moths come to short-wavelength light because it disrupts their flight orientation.
• The Spongy Moth is invasive here; logging your sightings on iNaturalist helps track it honestly.
• New to mothing? Start with mothing for beginners.

See tonight's Vermont moths

This site does not identify a moth from a photo. It predicts the species most likely flying at your location tonight from open GBIF records. Run the live tool for your Vermont spot, browse the full state index, or compare with a neighbor like New Hampshire. National Moth Week is July 18 to 26, 2026.