Bug FAQDarling Underwing
Catocala cara · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
Also called: Darling Underwing Moth
The darling underwing has a wingspan of about 70 to 85 mm. Its forewings are dark purplish-brown on top and light cream underneath, while the hindwings are bright scarlet-pink with two clean blackish concentric bands. Caterpillars feed on poplar, cottonwood and willow species, especially black willow.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hindwings are deep scarlet-pink with two neat blackish rings, one across the middle and one along the pale outer edge.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 70 to 85 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States, reaching west to Oklahoma and north to Illinois. Its range just barely extends into southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on poplar and cottonwood (Populus) and willow (Salix), especially black willow.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adult moths are on the wing from June through October, depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults fly between June and October, varying with region.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to the United States east of the Rockies, extending west to Oklahoma and north to Illinois. It also occurs marginally in southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The former subspecies C. c. carissima, found south of this moth, is now treated as a separate species, Catocala carissima, which also includes the form once called C. silvia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on poplar, cottonwood and willow species, especially black willow.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult darling underwings active?
Adults are on the wing from June to October, depending on where they live.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this moth?
It occurs east of the Rockies in the United States, reaching as far west as Oklahoma and north to Illinois, and just barely into southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this moth apart from similar species?
Look for the deep scarlet-pink hindwings with two clean blackish concentric bands; the former subspecies C. c. carissima, now Catocala carissima, is a separate southern species.
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/Catocala_cara
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.