18 Types of Moths in New York: Rare Barrens, Heathland, and Bog Species
November 7, 2026
The types of moths in New York go far beyond the Luna and Cecropia silkmoths that fill most field guides. The state has more than 1,000 moth species, and the large ones mostly belong to the silkmoth family. Many of the most interesting species are small, gray or brown, and tied to a single habitat.
Sighting data shows how skewed public attention is. The most commonly reported butterflies and moths on Butterflies and Moths of North America include the Polyphemus moth and the Cecropia silkmoth. This article covers the quieter species instead.
The 18 moths below come from Long Island pine barrens, coastal heathlands, fern-filled wetlands, and northern conifer stands. Some are widespread. Others are known from only a handful of sites, and a few have little public documentation. The Moth Identification state list is a good place to compare common species with these specialists, and readers curious about the global picture can see how many types of moths are there.
| Habitat Theme | Moths in This Article |
|---|---|
| Long Island barrens and heathlands | Coastal Heathland Cutworm, Pale Green Pinion Moth, Pin-striped Slug Moth, Grey Woodgrain, Sandplain Euchlaena Moth, Sandplain Heterocampa |
| Wetlands and ferns | Marsh Fern Moth, Chain Fern Borer Moth |
| Conifer stands | Pine Pinion Moth, Jack Pine Looper |
| Grasses, fields, and open ground | Switchgrass Dart, Fawn Brown Dart Moth, Well-marked Cutworm, Black-bordered Lemon Moth, Slender Flower Moth |
| Shrubs, woodland edges, and gardens | Blueberry Gray, Stinging Rose Caterpillar Moth, Shadowy Arches Moth |
Important Note: Several moths on this list are rare or poorly photographed, so published detail is thin. Where public sources give little, the descriptions below stick to family traits, habitat, and what the common name indicates.
1. Coastal Heathland Cutworm
The Coastal Heathland Cutworm (Abagrotis nefascia) is an owlet moth that lives up to its name. It belongs to the sandy, wind-pruned scrub along the Atlantic coast, where low shrubs and open ground replace forest. In New York, maritime heathlands are one of the habitats where several barrens moths have been found.
Like other cutworms, its caterpillars feed near the soil surface, while the brown-gray adults fly at night and come to lights. Heathland needs periodic disturbance to stay open, so this moth depends on the same sandy coastal ecosystems that development has shrunk. Anyone exploring Long Island’s insect life can start with types of insects in New York to see what else shares that habitat.
2. Well-Marked Cutworm
The Well-marked Cutworm is another member of the cutworm group, a name given to the soil-dwelling caterpillars of many owlet moths. As the name suggests, the adult has crisp forewing markings that stand out from the plainer browns of its relatives.
Gardeners know cutworm caterpillars for chewing through seedlings at ground level. Most cutworm species never reach pest status, though, and the adults feed on nectar and pollinate as they go. Home gardeners who prefer natural pest control often welcome predators such as the ladybugs found in New York.
3. Switchgrass Dart
The Switchgrass Dart is a dart moth, a branch of the owlet family known for stout bodies and subdued brown or gray wings. Its name points to switchgrass, a native warm-season grass that grows in sandy, open places across the Northeast.
Grass-dependent moths often turn up where dunes, fields, and heath meet. The New York Natural Heritage Program has documented another moth, Bridgham’s Brocade, at the edges of sea level fen, maritime heathland, dunes, and grassland on Long Island. Those same transition zones are good places to look for dart moths at a porch light or bait trap.
4. Fawn Brown Dart Moth
The Fawn Brown Dart Moth (Euxoa pleuritica) is a quiet-looking owlet moth. The Moth Identification list for New York places it in the owlet moth group alongside the pink star moth and the primrose moth. Its warm, fawn-toned forewings blend into dry grass and bare soil.
Many Euxoa darts fly in late summer and fall. The caterpillars hide in soil by day and feed after dark, which explains why the group is so poorly known to casual observers. A light sheet on a warm September night is the easiest way to meet one.
5. Marsh Fern Moth
The Marsh Fern Moth (Fagitana littera) is a small owlet moth of wet ground. It is named for marsh fern, a plant of swamps, wet meadows, and shaded marsh edges across New York.
The adult is typically pale and slender, and it tends to stay close to the vegetation where it develops. Wetland moths like this one suffer when drainage or fill removes small marshes, so a healthy fern marsh is a reasonable sign of a healthy moth community. Visit in early summer and check the undersides of fern fronds near dusk.
6. Blueberry Gray
The Blueberry Gray (Glena cognataria) is a geometer moth, so its caterpillars are inchworms that move in a looping stride. The adult wears a speckled gray pattern that works well as camouflage on tree bark. As the name says, blueberry is among its food plants.
Blueberry shrubs grow in pine barrens, bogs, and rocky uplands throughout the state. The related Sandplain Euchlaena Moth also uses blueberry as a larval host. Native bees visit the same shrubs, so a blueberry patch is a good spot to learn about bees in New York by day and moths by night.
7. Pine Pinion Moth
The Pine Pinion Moth (Lithophane lepida) belongs to the pinions, a group of owlet moths with long, narrow forewings. The caterpillars feed on pine foliage, so the moth is most at home in pine plantations, barrens, and mixed conifer woods.
Many pinions are late-season fliers. Adults appear in autumn, overwinter, and fly again in early spring, which makes them one of the few moth groups active in the cold months. A bait mix of fermented fruit painted on a pine trunk can draw them in on mild nights.
8. Pale Green Pinion Moth
The Pale Green Pinion Moth (Lithophane viridipallens) shares the pinion body shape but adds a soft green wash that mimics lichen on bark. It is one of the few New York moths whose color helps it vanish against a tree trunk rather than a leaf.
The New York Natural Heritage Program lists it among the species associated with Long Island’s dwarf pine barrens. That habitat-specific pattern makes it a favorite of surveyors who trap moths in barrens each year.
9. Jack Pine Looper
The Jack Pine Looper is a geometer moth, meaning its caterpillar is an inchworm. As the name suggests, it is tied to jack pine, a tree that is far scarcer in New York than in the Great Lakes region. Readers comparing northern neighbors can browse the moths of Michigan, where jack pine is much more widespread.
In New York, the habitat is rare. The New York Natural Heritage Program has recorded a sandstone pavement barrens in Clinton County dominated by jack pine, with shrubs, mosses, lichens, and ferns. The stand is a reminder that northern New York holds moth communities very different from those on Long Island.
10. Black-Bordered Lemon Moth
The Black-bordered Lemon Moth (Marimatha nigrofimbria) is one of the easiest moths on this list to identify. Its yellow wings are marked in black. It is an owlet moth.
Small and bright, it often rests on grass blades or low vegetation, and its caterpillars feed on grasses. It shows up at lights in summer and is often mistaken for a day-flying insect. For more color comparisons, see the guide to different types of moths.
11. Pin-Striped Slug Moth
The Pin-striped Slug Moth (Monoleuca semifascia) is one of New York’s rarest moths. It belongs to the family Limacodidae. In the state it is known from only one location, in the dwarf pine barrens on Long Island. The New York Natural Heritage Program guide covers its status in detail.
It is a more southern, habitat-specific species, and New York sits at the northern edge of its range. The open, dry woodland is a mix of dwarf pitch pine and scrub oak, and scrub oak is the caterpillar’s host. Southern readers can compare it with the moths found in Georgia.
12. Grey Woodgrain
The Grey Woodgrain (Morrisonia mucens) is an owlet moth whose forewings carry fine streaks that look like wood grain. The pattern lets it disappear against weathered bark and dead branches.
The New York Natural Heritage Program lists it among the species associated with the Pine Tussock Moth in Long Island’s pitch pine habitat. Moths of this kind rest motionless by day, so most records come from light traps run after dark.
13. Chain Fern Borer Moth
The Chain Fern Borer Moth (Papaipema stenocelis) is a borer moth, a group whose caterpillars tunnel inside the stems or roots of their host plants. The common name points to chain fern, which grows in wet, acidic soils along the coastal plain.
Borer caterpillars are almost never seen, and the adults fly late in the season. Finding one usually means finding intact wet habitat nearby. These damp spots also host a range of other arthropods, including many of the spiders in New York.
14. Stinging Rose Caterpillar Moth
The Stinging Rose Caterpillar Moth (Parasa indetermina) is a slug moth, the same family as the Pin-striped Slug Moth. The adult is a modest, fuzzy moth, but its caterpillar is the real attraction. It is covered in stinging spines and bright patterns.
The caterpillar feeds on oaks, roses, and other broadleaf plants, and it sits at the northern edge of its range in the Northeast. Brushing against one can cause a painful, burning rash.
Pro Tip: Photograph slug moth caterpillars from a distance and never handle them. Spines can break off and stay in the skin even when the caterpillar looks still.
15. Slender Flower Moth
Flower moths are small owlets that rest in blossoms and often match the color of the flower they use. Their caterpillars feed on the flowers or seed heads of specific host plants, which makes each species depend on a narrow plant range.
A relative, the Spinose Flower Moth (Schinia spinosae), appears in the New York Natural Heritage Program list of species associated with Long Island pitch pine habitat. Meadow edges, sandy openings, and native wildflower plantings are the best places to search for the Slender Flower Moth.
16. Shadowy Arches Moth
The Shadowy Arches Moth is one of the least photographed moths on this list. Like most night-flying moths, it is prey for New York’s bats. See bats in New York to learn which species hunt over woodland edges and clearings.
Because records are thin, photographs are valuable. The Butterflies and Moths of North America site can help identify a species if the photo comes with the date and location. Take shots with the wings visible from above and one from the side.
17. Sandplain Euchlaena Moth
The Sandplain Euchlaena Moth (Euchlaena madusaria) is a geometer moth. It lives in dry woodlands and scrublands in sandy or barrens areas, where larval host plants include oaks and blueberry. In New York it has been found in pitch pine-oak-heath woodlands, maritime heathlands, and dwarf pine plains.
Despite substantial trapping on Long Island, it has been found in only three Suffolk County populations since 1997. Habitat loss to development is the biggest threat, and fire suppression may close the canopy in the Dwarf Pine Barrens. The Natural Heritage guide for this species has the full conservation picture.
Pro Tip: This species is best captured at blacklight or bait at night in dry sandy woodlands and scrublands. Always check local rules before entering protected barrens.
18. Sandplain Heterocampa
The Sandplain Heterocampa (Heterocampa varia) is a prominent moth, a member of the family Notodontidae. The New York Natural Heritage Program lists it under the plain name “A Prominent Moth.” In New York it occurs only on Long Island, in dwarf pine barrens where scrub oak is the foodplant. The species guide maps its wider range along the Atlantic coast.
It needs open woodland with pitch pine and scrub oak, and fires are needed about every 5 to 10 years to maintain that habitat. Its presence over multiple years at the dwarf pine barrens site suggests a viable, reproducing population.
Together, these 18 species show that the types of moths in New York include some of the Northeast’s most specialized insects. Sandy barrens, coastal heath, and northern jack pine stands each hold moths found almost nowhere else in the state. Readers who want to widen the search can start with different types of insects.