Types of Moths in Minnesota: 23 Species From Giant Silk Moths to Garden Pests
October 31, 2026
The types of moths in Minnesota number well over a thousand, yet most residents notice only a few: a hummingbird-like blur at a petunia bed, a giant silk moth on a porch screen, or a caterpillar chewing a cabbage leaf. The Moth Photographers Group lists 1,942 species records for Minnesota, a count that includes butterflies and specimens not identified to species. Most of those moths are tiny and fly unseen at night.
This list covers 23 of the more recognizable species. Some are showy sphinx moths that visit garden flowers at dusk. Others are agricultural pests, wood borers, or wasp look-alikes. Readers who already know the daytime fliers, such as the Minnesota monarch butterfly or the common butterflies in Minnesota, will find that many of these moths use the same milkweed, wildflower, and orchard habitats after dark.
For a wider view of the group, the different types of moths and how many types of moths there are pages cover the global picture.
| Moth Family | Species in This List | General Look |
|---|---|---|
| Sphingidae (sphinx moths) | Abbott’s, Achemon, Apple, Azalea, Big Poplar, Blinded, Canadian, Carolina | Heavy bodies, narrow forewings, fast hovering flight |
| Saturniidae (giant silk moths) | Buck, Cecropia | Broad wings, feathery antennae |
| Noctuidae (owlet moths) | Adorable Brocade, Afflicted Dagger, Alfalfa Looper, American Dagger, Army Cutworm, Cabbage Looper, Celery Looper | Mottled gray or brown forewings, night fliers |
| Other families | Ailanthus Webworm, Alfalfa Webworm, American Hornet, Banded Tussock, Carpenterworm, Cherry Scallop Shell | Varied: wasp mimics, small webworms, wood borers |
1. Abbott’s Sphinx
Abbott’s sphinx (Sphecodina abbottii) is one of the sphinx moths recorded in Minnesota. It is a chunky, brown-and-gray moth with a hind wing flushed yellow-orange, and it flies early in the season. Adults are most active at dusk.
The caterpillars feed on wild grape and Virginia creeper. Gardeners with vines along a fence or woodland edge are the most likely to meet one, usually as a thrashing, brown caterpillar rather than as an adult.
2. Achemon Sphinx
The Achemon sphinx (Eumorpha achemon) is easy to spot when its hind wings show a rosy-pink flash. The forewings are mottled tan and brown, which hides the moth well against bark and leaf litter.
According to one regional moth guide, the larvae feed on grapevines and viny plants such as Virginia creeper, Boston ivy, and hop vine. The same source notes that adults sometimes visit damp soil or roadways to collect salts and minerals, a habit called mud puddling.
3. Adorable Brocade Moth
The Adorable Brocade is a brocade-type owlet moth, a group known for subtly patterned forewings and strictly nocturnal habits. Its small, neat markings give the species its friendly name. Few field guides give it more than a short entry, so it is a good example of the quieter side of Minnesota’s moth fauna.
Important Note: Detailed Minnesota records for this species are thin in public references. Anyone hoping to confirm one should photograph the moth at rest and compare it against a state moth list. The moths of neighboring Michigan are a useful cross-check for similar upper Midwest species.
4. Afflicted Dagger Moth
The afflicted dagger moth (Acronicta afflicta) is a gray owlet moth with dark, dagger-like streaks on the forewings. The pattern breaks up its outline and makes it hard to see on tree trunks. It comes readily to porch lights in summer.
Its caterpillars are hairy and feed on the foliage of deciduous trees. Like other dagger moths, the larvae often leave the tree and wander before pupating in bark crevices or leaf litter.
5. Ailanthus Webworm Moth
The ailanthus webworm moth (Atteva aurea) looks more like a tiny wasp than a moth. Its orange forewings carry rows of pale yellow spots with bluish edges. The bright pattern is a warning display, and the moth often rests with its wings held close to its body.
The caterpillars spin silken webs on tree of heaven, an introduced species, which helped this southern moth move north. Observers in warmer states can compare it with the moths of Georgia, where it is more established.
6. Alfalfa Looper Moth
The alfalfa looper (Autographa californica) is a mottled gray-brown moth with a small silvery mark on each forewing. Silver markings like this are typical of the looper group. Adults fly at night and come to lights.
Its caterpillars are generalists. They feed on alfalfa, clover, and many garden plants, and they move in the arching, inchworm-like way that gives loopers their name. Readers comparing regional looper faunas can browse the moths of Texas.
7. Alfalfa Webworm Moth
The alfalfa webworm moth (Loxostege cereralis) is a small, slender moth with buff-brown wings that fold in a narrow triangle at rest. It is easy to overlook, but it can be abundant in fields and weedy edges.
Caterpillars spin loose webbing on legumes and other broadleaf plants, and heavy feeding can damage alfalfa stands. In farm country, a swarm of small tan moths flushed from a hayfield is often this species. Neighbors to the north can compare notes in the insects of Canada.
8. American Dagger Moth
The American dagger moth (Acronicta americana) is a pale gray owlet moth, and one of the more notable dagger moths listed for Minnesota. It appears on regional lists of owlet moths, and Moth Identification includes it among Minnesota’s owlets.
The caterpillar draws far more attention than the adult. It is covered in long, fluffy yellow hair with black tufts, and it feeds on maple, birch, and ash. The hairs can irritate skin, so handling is best avoided.
9. American Hornet Moth
The American hornet moth (Sesia tibialis) is a clearwing moth that mimics a hornet with remarkable accuracy. It has mostly transparent wings, a black body, and yellow bands. Unlike most moths, it flies by day.
Larvae bore into the trunks of aspen, poplar, and cottonwood, which are common across Minnesota. Seeing one on a sunny tree trunk can prompt a double take, and the resemblance to a stinging insect protects it from predators. Anyone sorting out real stingers can check the wasps of Minnesota.
10. Apple Sphinx
The apple sphinx (Sphinx gordius) is a gray, streaked sphinx moth with a pale hind wing. It belongs to a family that, according to Minnesota Seasons, occurs in every county in Minnesota.
Caterpillars feed on apple, cherry, and ash, and also on sweet gale in wetter spots. Orchard owners seldom see enough of them to cause damage. Adults come to flowers and lights after dark.
11. Army Cutworm Moth
The army cutworm moth (Euxoa auxiliaris) is a brown, stocky owlet moth often called a miller moth. It flies at night and can show up in large numbers around lights in spring and early summer.
The caterpillars are the problem. They feed at night, clip off young seedlings at the soil line, and hide in the soil by day. Gardeners who lose newly planted vegetables overnight often suspect cutworms of this kind, and a collar of cardboard around each transplant is a simple defense.
12. Azalea Sphinx
The azalea sphinx (Darapsa choerilus) is a smaller sphinx moth with olive-green forewings and a dark band across the body. Its subtle coloring helps it vanish among leaves during the day.
The larvae feed on viburnum, azalea, and related shrubs. Because it is a small moth that spends daylight hours hidden, most records come from light traps and porch lights rather than flower visits.
13. Banded Tussock Moth
The banded tussock moth (Halysidota tessellaris) has tan forewings crossed by pale, wavy bands. The caterpillar is a fuzzy, pale creature with long tufts, and it feeds on a wide range of trees, including oak, birch, and willow.
Important Note: Naming varies between sources. The Gardening Dad pairs the banded tussock name with a different Latin name, Habrosyne pyritoides. The scientific name used here is the one standard in North American caterpillar references, so it is worth confirming against a field guide.
14. Big Poplar Sphinx
The big poplar sphinx (Pachysphinx modesta) is also called the modest sphinx. Moth Identification lists the Modest Sphinx among Minnesota’s hawk moths. It is one of the larger sphinx moths in the state, with soft gray forewings and a pink-and-blue patch on each hind wing.
Caterpillars feed on poplar, aspen, cottonwood, and willow, so the moth is often found near river bottoms and shelterbelts. Adults seldom feed and come readily to lights.
15. Blinded Sphinx
The blinded sphinx (Paonias excaecata) keeps its trick hidden until disturbed. At rest, the forewings look like dead, scalloped leaves. When threatened, the moth flashes pink hind wings with a blue eyespot, which can startle a bird.
The caterpillars feed on birch, cherry, willow, and poplar. A yard with a cherry or birch tree has a decent chance of hosting this moth, even if it is rarely seen.
16. Buck Moth
The buck moth (Hemileuca maia) is a black-and-white day-flying silk moth with a bright reddish tail tip. Its flight season is late fall, which sets it apart from nearly every other large moth. Records place it in Minnesota, though it is more at home farther south and east.
The caterpillars have branched spines that sting, and they feed on oak leaves. Anyone who finds a spiny, dark caterpillar on oak should look without touching.
17. Cabbage Looper
The cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) is a gray-brown moth with a small silver mark on each forewing. It is among the most familiar garden pests in the Upper Midwest. The adults fly at night and are rarely noticed.
The pale green caterpillars loop as they walk and chew ragged holes in cabbage, broccoli, kale, and lettuce. Row covers keep egg-laying moths off the plants, and checking leaf undersides catches small caterpillars early.
Pro Tip: A white sheet hung behind a UV or LED light draws in moths on warm, still nights from late spring through early fall. Photograph each visitor at rest, since wing posture helps with identification.
18. Canadian Sphinx
The Canadian sphinx (Sphinx canadensis) is a dark, compact sphinx moth with a smoky-brown body. Minnesota Seasons lists it among the recorded sphinx moths, alongside the great ash sphinx.
The larvae feed on shrubs such as blueberry, so the moth turns up in northern bogs and woods more often than in cornfields. Adults fly in late spring and early summer.
19. Carolina Sphinx
The Carolina sphinx (Manduca sexta) is a large gray moth with six orange spots down each side of the abdomen. Its caterpillar is the tobacco hornworm, which is a familiar tomato-patch pest.
Bird Watching HQ notes that these moths hover in front of flowers to feed and prefer tubular blossoms with plenty of nectar. Four-o’clocks, petunias, and moonflowers draw them in after sunset. Gardeners who see green hornworms on tomatoes can hand-pick them.
20. Carpenterworm Moth
The carpenterworm moth (Prionoxystus robiniae) is a heavy-bodied, gray-mottled moth, with females larger than males. Its caterpillars bore into living hardwoods, especially oak, ash, and poplar, and can spend several years inside a tree.
Sawdust-like frass pushing out of small holes marks an infested trunk. Wounded trees may also invite beetles and decay, so insects that eat wood and the beetles of Minnesota are worth reading together.
21. Cecropia Moth
The cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) is among the largest native moths in North America, with a wingspan that approaches 6 inches. Its reddish-brown wings carry white crescents and a ring of red, white, and black. Moth Identification names it among Minnesota’s large moths.
Adults have no working mouthparts and live only long enough to mate and lay eggs. The big blue-green caterpillars eat maple, cherry, and birch, then spin a tough, brown cocoon that often hangs from a twig through winter.
22. Celery Looper
The celery looper (Anagrapha falcifera) appears in regional lists of Minnesota’s owlet moths. It has mottled brown forewings with a pale silvery mark and a slightly scalloped outline, much like other loopers.
Its caterpillars eat a very wide range of plants, including celery, beets, and many weeds. Home gardeners rarely see damage serious enough to need control, though a heavy infestation can strip leaves from vegetables.
23. Cherry Scallop Shell Moth
The cherry scallop shell moth (Rheumaptera prunivorata) is a geometer moth with gray wings and wavy, shell-like lines. The pattern is quiet but distinct, and it explains the common name.
The caterpillars are loopers that feed on cherry and plum and can defoliate young trees in a bad year. Orchard growers and backyard cherry owners are the ones most likely to notice them.
Together, these 23 species show how varied the types of moths in Minnesota are, from wasp mimics to leaf-shaped hawk moths. Native prairie, woodland edges, and gardens with nectar-rich flowers are the best bets for finding them, much as they are for butterflies native to Minnesota. For more regional lists, the different types of insects page is a good next step.