Bug FAQMilkweed Tussock Moth
Euchaetes egle · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Source: Wikipedia
Larvae grow up to about 35 mm and are hairy, yellow-abdominal with black dots. Adults have grayish wings and the species is common from southern Canada to Texas and Florida. One generation occurs in the north, two or more in the south; eggs are laid on leaf undersides.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults have grayish wings. Abdomens are yellow, hairy, with a row of black dots on the back.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Larvae can reach about 35 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It feeds in midsummer through late summer on milkweeds and dogbane.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae mainly eat milkweeds and sometimes dogbane. They prefer older milkweed shoots and rarely share the same shoots with monarch butterflies.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
One generation per year in the north; two or more in the south. Females lay eggs in clusters on the undersides of leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Active as a feeder from midsummer through late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found from southern Canada down through Texas and Florida in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 41 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Illinois, Virginia, Wisconsin.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
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/Euchaetes_egle
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.