Summer-flying
Guides
Abegesta remellalis
white-trimmed abegesta, white-trimmed brown pyralid moth
A medium-sized crambid moth found in arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Adults are active during summer months and are readily identified by the distinctive white markings on otherwise brownish-orange forewings. The species was first described in 1899 and remains relatively well-documented through recent observations.
Acronicta tristis
Sad Dagger
Acronicta tristis, commonly known as the Sad Dagger, is a moth species in the family Noctuidae, subfamily Acronictinae. It was described by Smith in 1911. The species occurs in eastern North America, with adults active during early summer. It is a relatively small noctuid moth with a wingspan of approximately 34 mm.
Aethes atomosana
Two-spotted Aethes
Aethes atomosana, commonly known as the two-spotted aethes, is a small tortricid moth native to eastern North America. Adults are active during summer months, with forewings measuring 6.6–9.8 mm and displaying distinctive ochreous coloration with darker scaling. The species appears to have a single annual generation.
Aethes rana
A small tortricid moth described by August Busck in 1907. Adults have a wingspan of 16–18 mm and are active from July to September in the eastern and midwestern United States. The species is characterized by distinctive forewing coloration: a whitish ocherous base strongly suffused with dark fuscous and marked with blackish-brown patterns.
Alexicles
Alexicles moth
Alexicles is a monotypic genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. Its sole species, Alexicles aspersa, occurs in the southwestern United States. The genus was established by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1883. Adults are active during summer months.
Anicla exuberans
Exuberant Dart
Anicla exuberans is a noctuid moth known as the Exuberant Dart, first described by John Bernhardt Smith in 1898. It is characterized by a moderate wingspan of 37–41 mm and a univoltine life cycle with adults active during summer months. The species occupies dry interior habitats across western North America, ranging from central Mexico to the Canadian prairies.
Anicla forbesi
Forbes' Dart
Anicla forbesi (Forbes' Dart) is a noctuid moth species distributed across northeastern and north-central North America. Adults are active during summer months, with flight records from June through August. The species has a wingspan of approximately 35 mm. Larvae have been successfully reared on timothy grass (Phleum pratense) and likely feed on various native grasses in natural habitats.
Apamea vulgaris
Common Apamea Moth, common apamea
Apamea vulgaris, commonly known as the Common Apamea Moth, is a noctuid moth found in eastern and central North America. Adults are active from May to July and have a wingspan of approximately 39 mm. The species belongs to the cutworm moth genus Apamea, a group known for being difficult to identify due to individual variation and overlapping morphological features among closely related species.
Apantesis parthenice
Parthenice Tiger Moth
The Parthenice Tiger Moth is a nocturnal tiger moth in the family Erebidae, found across eastern North America from southeastern Canada through the eastern United States. Adults are active from June through late September and are readily attracted to artificial light sources. The species is common in open habitats including fields and woodland edges.
Catoptria oregonicus
Western Catoptria, Oregon Catoptria Moth
Catoptria oregonicus is a small crambid moth found in western North American mountain meadows. Described by Grote in 1880, this species is active during mid to late summer. It is one of several Catoptria species in the region, distinguished by its specific geographic range and habitat preferences.
Crambus agitatellus
double-banded grass-veneer moth, Double-banded Grass-veneer
A small crambid moth of eastern North America, recognized by its distinctive wing pattern and slender resting posture. Adults are active during mid-summer months. The species was first described by J.B. Clemens in 1860 and remains common in open grassy habitats.
Eana osseana
Eana osseana is a small tortrix moth in the family Tortricidae, subfamily Tortricinae. It has been treated under various taxonomic interpretations, with 'osseana-of-authors' referring to the species as historically recognized by European lepidopterists, distinct from related taxa now placed in separate species. The species occurs in Palearctic regions and is associated with dry, calcareous habitats. Adults are active in summer months.
Elachista maculoscella
Elachista maculoscella is a small moth in the family Elachistidae. It has been documented in the northeastern United States and central Canada. The species is among the smallest North American microlepidoptera, with adults active in mid-summer.
Eucosma sombreana
Eucosma sombreana is a small tortricid moth described by Kearfott in 1905. It is recorded from scattered localities across central and eastern North America. Adults are active during summer and early autumn.
Eueretagrotis sigmoides
Sigmoid Dart
Eueretagrotis sigmoides, commonly known as the Sigmoid Dart, is a noctuid moth native to eastern North America. The species has a wingspan of approximately 40 mm. Adults are active during the summer months, primarily June and July. Recent records indicate range expansion into North Carolina and Tennessee.
Euxoa choris
Euxoa choris is a noctuid moth described by Leon F. Harvey in 1876. It occurs across western North America from the Yukon and Canadian prairies south to the southwestern United States. Adults are active during summer months with a single annual generation. The species is one of many Euxoa moths attracted to ultraviolet light sources.
Glaphyria fulminalis
Black-patched Glaphyria Moth
Glaphyria fulminalis, commonly known as the Black-patched Glaphyria Moth, is a small crambid moth described by Julius Lederer in 1863. It is native to the eastern United States, where it occurs from New England south to Florida and westward to Texas and the Midwest. Adults are active during the summer months and are characterized by their small size and distinctive wing patterning.
Heliothis oregonica
Oregon Gem Moth
Heliothis oregonica, commonly known as the Oregon Gem Moth, is a species of owlet moth in the family Noctuidae. First described by Henry Edwards in 1875, this small moth exhibits a disjunct distribution pattern across North America, with populations in western mountain regions and an isolated occurrence in Quebec. Adults are active during summer months.
Hesperumia
sulphur moth
Hesperumia is a genus of geometrid moths established by Packard in 1873. The genus contains four recognized species distributed across western North America, with adults typically active during summer months. Larval stages are poorly documented, but the genus is associated with various host plants including buckwheat and other herbaceous vegetation. Adults of at least one species, H. sulphuraria, are attracted to light sources.
Hypocoena rufostrigata
Brown-streaked Rustic Moth
Hypocoena rufostrigata, commonly known as the Brown-streaked Rustic Moth, is a noctuid moth species first described by Alpheus Spring Packard in 1867. It is a North American species with a broad geographic range spanning from the Atlantic coast to Alaska and western North America. Adults have a wingspan of 26–30 mm and are active during summer months.
Hypotrix optima
Hypotrix optima is a small noctuid moth described by Dyar in 1920. It occurs in the southwestern United States and Mexico, with a range extending from southeastern Arizona and central New Mexico south to Mexico City. Adults are active during a narrow mid-summer window. The species has been subject to taxonomic revision, with some authorities placing it in the genus Eriopyga.
Lasionycta conjugata
Lasionycta conjugata is a noctuid moth species described by Smith in 1899. It is restricted to high-elevation habitats in the Rocky Mountains, occurring from central Utah and Colorado northward to the Montana-Wyoming border. The species is nocturnal and active during mid-summer.
Lasionycta fergusoni
Lasionycta fergusoni is a nocturnal moth in the family Noctuidae, described by Crabo & Lafontaine in 2009. It inhabits subalpine forests across the Pacific Northwest and western Canada, from southern Washington through British Columbia and Alberta to southern Yukon. Adults are active from late June to mid-August. The species is part of a genus revision that described 17 new North American species.
Lipocosma adelalis
A small crambid moth described by Kearfott in 1903, known from scattered records across the eastern United States. Adults are active during summer months and are characterized by a wingspan of approximately 11 mm. The species appears to be uncommon to rare, with limited ecological data available.
Lozotaenia rindgei
Lozotaenia rindgei is a small tortricid moth described by Obraztsov in 1962. It occurs across a broad North American range spanning from the Yukon and British Columbia south to Oregon, Wyoming, and Washington, with an isolated eastern population in North Carolina. The species is active during summer months.
Macaria occiduaria
The Barred Gray
Macaria occiduaria is a geometrid moth in the tribe Macariini, commonly known as the Barred Gray. The species is characterized by gray forewings with distinct dark transverse lines and a relatively broad wingspan for its genus. It is native to western North America and has been documented in a moderate number of observations. Adults are active during summer months.
Photedes defecta
narrow-winged borer, narrow-winged borer moth
Photedes defecta is a small noctuid moth commonly known as the narrow-winged borer. First described by Grote in 1874, it occurs across northern North America from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific. Adults are active in mid to late summer with a primary flight period from July through September. The species has historically been classified under the genus Hypocoena but is now placed in Photedes.
Protolampra brunneicollis
Brown-collared Dart
Protolampra brunneicollis, the Brown-collared Dart, is a noctuid moth native to eastern North America. The species was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1864. Adults fly from June through September, with evidence suggesting either bivoltinism or a single generation with summer aestivation. Larvae are generalist feeders on low-growing herbaceous and woody plants.
Scoparia biplagialis
Double-striped Scoparia Moth
Scoparia biplagialis, known as the double-striped scoparia moth, is a small crambid moth first described by Francis Walker in 1866. The species is characterized by its small size, with forewings measuring 6–8 mm in length. It exhibits a broad distribution across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada through much of the contiguous United States. Adults are active during summer months, with flight records from June to August.
Udea brevipalpis
Udea brevipalpis is a small crambid moth described by Eugene G. Munroe in 1966. It is known from a limited range in western North America, with records from California, Colorado, and Utah. Adults are active during mid-summer.
Udea turmalis
Udea turmalis is a crambid moth described by Grote in 1881. It is found in western North America, with records spanning from western Canada through the western United States. Adults fly during summer months and possess distinctive wing markings that aid in identification.
Xanthostege plana
Xanthostege plana is a crambid moth described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1883. The species is distinguished by its striking wing coloration: dark yellow forewings with a contrasting pinkish-red fringe and translucent straw-colored hindwings. It occurs in the southwestern United States, with confirmed records from Arizona and Texas.