Bug FAQRed-washed Prominent
Oligocentria semirufescens · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Notodontidae
Also called: Red-washed Prominent Moth
The red-washed prominent has a wingspan of about 30 to 45 mm. It lives across North America from the Atlantic coast of Canada to Vancouver Island and down to Florida, Colorado and central California. Adults are flying from May through September, with a shorter period of June to early August in Alberta.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges between 30 and 45 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to September, but in Alberta they appear from June to early August.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period spans May through September, with a shorter window in Alberta (June to early August).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers North America from eastern Canada across to the west coast and down to the southern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Western moths are paler and greyer than eastern ones and may be confused with the southern Oligocentria perangulata.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 30 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Washington, North Carolina, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts.
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
When are adult red-washed prominents active?
Adults fly from May to September, though in Alberta they are seen from June to early August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this moth?
It occurs across North America from Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island and south to Florida, Colorado and central California.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Notodontidae)
White-dotted ProminentNadata gibbosa
Buff-tipPhalera bucephalaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Gluphisia MothGluphisia septentrionis
Pine Processionary-mothThaumetopoea pityocampaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Walnut Caterpillar MothDatana integerrimaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Saddled ProminentHeterocampa guttivittaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligocentria_semirufescens
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.