Turn on your porch lights during a warm summer evening and you will soon be joined by more winged visitors than you can count. Vermont’s moth diversity is astounding, although you may not realize it until you take a closer look.
Vermont is home to over 2,200 species with new moths being discovered in the state all the time. Since 1995, ~400 new moth species have been documented in the Green Mountain State.
Black-and-yellow Lichen Moth (Lycomorpha pholus) sipping nectar from Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). /© K.P. McFarland
Some moths fly by day and can be found in the fields and forests around your home. Some of them fly at night and require a little coaxing to come into view. Moths offer more than just their intriguing diversity and beauty—they also serve important roles as both pollinators and food for other wildlife.
Here at the Vermont Atlas of Life, we are eager to learn more about Vermont’s moths. By encouraging community scientists to photograph and share their moth encounters, we hope to better understand their phenology, habitat use, and range of moths like never before.
There’s a great, wide world of moths waiting to be discovered. Read more about the Vermont Moth Atlas and learn how you can get involved!
