How to identify a giant leopard moth
This is one of the easiest large moths to name. The wingspan reaches about 3 inches, and the bright white forewings are covered in bold black markings, many of them open circles or rings rather than solid dots, like a leopard's rosettes. At rest the abdomen is often hidden, but it is a deep iridescent blue with orange marks, a flash of warning color. The combination of large size, clean white ground color, and ringed black pattern separates it from smaller, plainer tiger moths.
Where it lives
The giant leopard moth ranges across the eastern and southern United States in woods, gardens, and suburban yards. Open occurrence records are highest in Virginia, Maryland, Texas, New York, and West Virginia, capturing both its Mid-Atlantic stronghold and its reach south and west. It is at home anywhere broadleaf plants and weedy vegetation give its caterpillars plenty to eat.
When it flies
Adults appear across a long, somewhat split season, with the most records in June and July and again in September and October. This pattern reflects more than one generation in the warmer parts of the range, so you may find fresh adults in early summer and again in the fall.
Caterpillar, host plants, and life cycle
The caterpillar is a classic woolly bear: glossy black and densely bristly, with red or orange bands between the body segments that flash when it rolls into a defensive ball. It is a broad feeder, eating dandelion, plantain, violets, and many other low broadleaf plants and shrubs. The bristles can irritate sensitive skin, so it is best admired rather than handled. Larvae overwinter and resume feeding before pupating, and the adults emerge to mate; like many tiger moths, the adults are short-lived and the caterpillar does most of the feeding.
How to see one at night
Giant leopard moths come readily to lights, and a UV or mercury-vapor light against a white sheet is the surest way to draw one in. UV outperforms a plain white LED for this and nearly all moths. The light works by disrupting the moth's flight orientation rather than truly attracting it, so pick a warm, still, moonless night for the best chance of a leopard on your sheet. Want help timing it? See luna moth season for peak summer mothing, compare it with the invasive spongy moth, or predict tonight's moths for your location.