Bug FAQRegal Moth
Citheronia regalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Saturniidae
Also called: Regal Walnut Moth, Royal Walnut Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The adult regal moth has a wingspan of about 10 to 15 cm. It is bright green with large black-tipped red horns, which give the caterpillar its name “hickory horned devil.” It lives in deciduous forests across the eastern United States, from the Deep South up to the Midwest and New England, and flies in midsummer from late June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The caterpillar is bright green with huge black-tipped red horns, earning it the name “hickory horned devil.”
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan ranging from 9.5 to 15.5 cm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits deciduous forests throughout the United States, from Missouri and Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, and south to Texas and central Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on a variety of trees such as hickory, walnut, sweetgum, persimmon, sumac, and cotton. Adult moths do not feed at all.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Its life cycle follows the typical pattern of Saturniidae moths. There is one generation per year, though in the deep south the season can be longer.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from late June through August, and larvae are most abundant from August to October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is common in the American Deep South and becomes rarer farther north.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Florida.
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
Questions people ask
Do regal moth caterpillars bite or sting?
No, their spines are only prickly and do not sting.
Source: Wikipedia
What do regal moth caterpillars eat?
They feed on hickory, walnut, sweetgum, persimmon, sumac, cotton and other trees.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult regal moths?
Adults fly in midsummer, typically from late June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Saturniidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citheronia_regalis
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.