Bug FAQHickory Tussock Moth
Lophocampa caryae · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Source: Wikipedia
The adult Hickory Tussock Moth has yellow-brown forewings with white splotches that look like stained glass, and the caterpillar is covered in long hairlike setae in tufts. It lives in the eastern half of North America, feeds on hickory, pecan, walnuts and other trees, and the adult flies in May-June with one generation each year. The hairs can cause itchy rashes similar to urushiol exposure in many people.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are yellowish-brown with white splotches like stained glass.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults grow up to about 4.5 cm long before they pupate.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
The hairs can cause itchy rashes (contact dermatitis), especially in allergy-prone people, and may resemble urushiol exposure.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The cocoon is loosely woven with setae and overwinters in leaf litter.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae mainly eat hickory, pecan, and walnuts, but will also feed on ash, elm, oak, willow and other plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in May and June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is widely distributed across the eastern half of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Michigan.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where do they spend the winter?
The cocoon, which includes setae, stays in leaf litter over winter.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lophocampa_caryae
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.