Where can I find butterflies and moths?

Butterflies and moths are found during the warmer months of the year in many different environments. In most places, May to August are the best months, and you will do well looking in sunny exposed places with low plants. Many national parks, wildlife refuges, or other wild places are usually rich in butterfly species. Your local city or county park may have planted a butterfly garden to attract butterflies in the summer or you may want to visit the nearest insect zoo or butterfly house where hundreds of living exotic insects and butterflies are on display.

Learn more about participating in local field trips and getting a discount on a butterfly collecting kit through the Outernet Project of The Lepidopterists' Society.

Some very excited boys displaying a Royal Walnut Moth (Citheronia regalis) they found.

Close-up of the Royal Walnut Moth.