Minnesota Counties

This distribution chart is a compilation of information from Paul Opler's Moths of North America Website, the Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary and personal communication with many residents of Minnesota. See comments below the map.

Actual ranges may, in many cases, be much more expansive than noted. I suspect cecropia, io, luna and polyphemus fly throughout the state.

Clicking on a scientific name will take you to a file with pictures and/or information.

Antheraea polyphemus, BWCA, Cook County, Minnesota,
July 8, 2013, courtesy of Ian Miller.

Ian writes, "You might like to see what most of the BWCA Antheraea polyphemus females look like. I have a bunch of eggs from females that all resemble this one. And this is not an aberrant moth for up there most females do infact have huge forewing eye spots."

O Anisota senatoria O Anisota stigma O Anisota virginiensis O Dryocampa rubicunda O Eacles imperialis # Automeris io # Hemileuca nevadensis (complex 2) X Callosamia promethea X Hyalophora cecropia X Hyalophora columbia + Actias luna + Antheraea polyphemus O Anisota senatoria O Anisota stigma O Anisota virginiensis O Dryocampa rubicunda O Eacles imperialis # Automeris io # Hemileuca nevadensis (complex 2) X Callosamia promethea X Hyalophora cecropia X Hyalophora columbia + Actias luna + Antheraea polyphemus O Anisota senatoria O Anisota stigma O Anisota virginiensis O Dryocampa rubicunda O Eacles imperialis # Automeris io # Hemileuca nevadensis (complex 2) X Callosamia promethea X Hyalophora cecropia X Hyalophora columbia + Actias luna + Antheraea polyphemus

Don Ehlen writes, "I can confirm polyphemus for Sherburne County, Big Elk Lake, 2 June 1991."

Mary Torgusen, Mankato (Blue Earth County), confirms Antheraea polyphemus with larva find August 13, 2003. The larva cocooned evening of 13th.

Robert Roach of Beltrami County writes, "Thank you, Mr. Oehlke, for your advice. I have a contact who is a park naturalist, and lives just 10 minutes from me. He has lived here for more than 30 years. He has assured me that Luna moths are native to Beltrami County.

"The fact that Cecropias are present in numbers on our property would seem to indicate that the tachinid is not present (perhaps because we have few host trees for the gypsy moth).

"Notice on the USGS site that Beltrami County is not listed as having Cecropias, yet as my photos demonstrate, we clearly do (they love my apple trees!!!)... unless you think that the photos I sent show a Columbia silkmoth."

O Anisota senatoria O Anisota stigma O Anisota virginiensis O Dryocampa rubicunda O Eacles imperialis # Automeris io # Hemileuca nevadensis (complex 2) X Callosamia promethea X Hyalophora cecropia X Hyalophora columbia + Actias luna + Antheraea polyphemus O Anisota senatoria O Anisota stigma O Anisota virginiensis O Dryocampa rubicunda O Eacles imperialis # Automeris io # Hemileuca nevadensis (complex 2) X Callosamia promethea X Hyalophora cecropia X Hyalophora columbia + Actias luna + Antheraea polyphemus

Scott Boutilier writes,
Here’s some data from the week of June 9-15 for St. Louis county Minnesota: H. cecropia, A. luna, C. promethea, A. polyphemus, D. rubicunda."

Duane McDowell writes, "Wild C. promethea males came in to calling females on 6/15/03 and 6/16/03 in Roseville (St. Paul) MN (Ramsey County), less than 5 miles from downtown St. Paul and 6 from downtown Minneapolis."

John Haarstad reports Actias luna, Anisota stigma, Anisota virginiensis, Antheraea polyphemus, Automeris io, Hyalophora cecropia and Hemileuca maia from Cedar Creek on the borders of Isanti and Anoka Counties.

I suspect the Hemileuca species is of the nevadensis complex.

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