How to identify the Hickory Tussock Moth
The adult is a medium-sized moth with a wingspan around 3.5 to 5 cm (about 1.4 to 2 inches). The forewings are tawny to tan-brown, marked with several rows of small, semi-translucent cream-colored spots arranged in neat bands, which gives the wing a checkered, window-paned look. The body is fuzzy and tan. While the adult is handsome but understated, most people meet this species as the caterpillar, which is far more conspicuous.
Where the Hickory Tussock Moth lives
This is a moth of northern hardwood and mixed forests, woodland edges and shaded suburbs. The open records concentrate it in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is strongly tied to hickory, walnut and other hardwoods that the caterpillars eat, so it is most abundant where those trees grow across the Northeast and upper Midwest.
When the Hickory Tussock Moth flies
The adults are on the wing across the warmer months, with the records showing peaks in June and again in August and September. The caterpillars become very noticeable in late summer and early fall, which is when most people notice this species crawling on foliage, fences and the ground as they search for places to pupate.
Caterpillar, host plants and life cycle
The caterpillar is the headliner: it is fuzzy and white with a row of black tufts down the back and longer black hair pencils projecting from the front and rear. It feeds in groups when young on hickory, walnut, ash, oak, elm and other hardwoods, then disperses as it grows. Those hairs are an irritant and can cause an itchy rash or burning sensation in many people, so do not handle this caterpillar, which is the practical warning most folks need. The species overwinters as a pupa in a hairy cocoon in the leaf litter and emerges as an adult the following season.
How to see a Hickory Tussock Moth at night
To find the adult moth, run a light on a warm summer night near hickory or walnut woods. Hang a white sheet and use a UV (blacklight) or mercury-vapor lamp; UV pulls in many more moths than a white LED bulb. Moths gather at lights because the bright source disrupts their flight orientation, so a steady light against a pale sheet works best, checked through the first hours after dark. The famous caterpillar, by contrast, is easy to find by day in late summer; just look, don't touch. New to night lighting? See our mothing for beginners guide, and compare the adult with the similar Banded Tussock Moth.