
	Description


	Size
	Wingspan: 1¼″ to 1⅝″ Total length: 5 ⁄16″ to 11 ⁄16″

	Similar Species



	Habitat
	Fields, edges.


	Biology
	Season
	Two flights, May to September. Caterpillars found starting in June.

	Behavior


	Life Cycle


	Larva Hosts
	Milkweed (Asclepias)

	Adult Food


	Distribution
			Sources 7, 21, 24, 27, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82.
	9/8/2022

	Occurrence
	Common


	Taxonomy
	Order	Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
	Superfamily	Noctuoidea (owlet moths and allies)
	Family	Erebidae (underwing, tiger, tussock, and allied moths)
	Subfamily	Arctiinae (tiger moths and allies)
	Tribe	Arctiini (tiger moths)
	Subtribe	Phaegopterina
	Genus	Euchaetes

	In 2011 the family Arctiidae (tiger moths and lichen moths) was transferred to the family Erebidae mostly intact but demoted to a subfamily. The former subfamilies are now tribes, the former tribes now subtribes.

	Synonyms


	Common Names
	milkweed caterpillar milkweed moth milkweed tiger moth milkweed tussock caterpillar milkweed tussock moth


	Visitor Photos

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	Alfredo Colon












	Luciearl

	Milkweed tussock moth caterpillar on milkweed



	Molly and Robert Power

	on a hosta



	Margot Avey




	Gerry Garcia




	Maggie

	feeding on milkweed.



	Joan Crabtree




	Kathleen Riley

	Lots of them in the yard, photos attached of the milkweed.



	Dan W. Andree

	Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar... While out on a walk in the Gary Pines just north of Gary, Mn. In one area there were some milkweed plants. I noticed this caterpillar on a dried discolored leaf that was on a live milkweed plant. Interesting caterpillar it was. The colors of the caterpillar and leaf seemed to compliment each other.



	MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Camera


	Slideshows


	Milkweed Tussock Moth - Hodges#8238 (Euchaetes egle) Andree Reno Sanborn




	Euchaetes egle (Milkweed Tussock Moth) Allen Chartier

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

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	Other Videos


	Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar (Erebidae: Euchaetes egle) Feeding Carl Barrentine

	About Uploaded on Aug 28, 2010 Photographed at the Rydell NWR, Minnesota (27 August 2010). Go here to learn more about this species: http://bugguide.net/node/view/433



	Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillar (Erebidae: Euchaetes egle) Carl Barrentine

	About Uploaded on Aug 5, 2010 Photographed at Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (04 August 2010). Thank you to Larry Clarfeld and John and Jane Balaban for confirming the identify of this specimen!



	Euchaetes egle - Milkweed Tussock Moth WaddellSchool

	About Uploaded on Apr 23, 2011 These caterpillars of Euchaetes egle, the Milkweed Tussock Moth, chowed down on my milkweed 8/20/06 in NE Connecticut.

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

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Luciearl 8/30/2022	Location: Fairview Twp, Cass County Milkweed tussock moth caterpillar on milkweed



Alfredo Colon 8/7/2022	Location: Albany, NY



Alfredo Colon 10/6/2019	Location: Woodbury, Minnesota



Molly and Robert Power 9/15/2019	Location: Albany MN on a hosta



Robert Powell 9/6/2019	Location: Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. Mille Lacs County, Minnesota seen 6 on the trail with pictures



Cathy 9/3/2019	Location: Upton Garden, Bryn Mawr, Minneapolis Many caterpillars feeding on milkweed.



Margot Avey 8/29/2019	Location: Ramsey, MN



Laura 8/9/2019	Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota on my milkweed plant. Have never seen one before.



Gerry Garcia 8/4/2019	Location: Lyndale Park, Minneapolis, MN



Gail 8/2/2019	Location: So. Minneapolis caterpillar feeding on our swamp milkweed



Maggie 7/27/2019	Location: Newport MN feeding on milkweed.



Joan Crabtree 7/27/2019	Location: Douglas County, MN



Jeanne Lux 7/31/2019	Location: Dayton Mn Seems like thousands on my milkweed plants in my gardens in Dayton Mn



Kathleen Riley 7/23/2019	Location: Champlin MN Lots of them in the yard, photos attached of the milkweed.



Andrea E. 8/22/2018	Location: Lake Elmo, MN Eight caterpillars eating milkweed in our backyard.



Laura I. 8/6/2018	Location: Blaine, MN Found 2 on a milkweed plant during a hike.



Jean K. 7/29/2018	Location: Champlin, MN, Home on the Mississippi River A dozen eat milkweed growing under my kitchen window.



Lenise B. 7/23/2018	Location: Plymouth, MN When looking for monarch caterpillars in my garden, found about 50 of these tussock caterpillars on milkweed. Have stripped several milkweed plants to skeletonized status.



Marie Hlava 7/23/2018	Location: Mazeppa MN Found two voraciously eating milkweed.



Carol B. 7/10/2018	Location: Minnetonka,MN Never had seen one before. Was checking common milkweed for Monarch caterpillars. Found 3 on one plant.



Karna Berg 8/30/2017	Location: South St. Paul I have hundreds on my milkweed in South St. Paul. Should I kill them?



Stephanie 8/23/2017	Location: Cold Spring, MN. Have hundreds on my Milk weed. They have eaten my milkweed down to just a branch standing



Tim Fritze 8/5/2017	Location: Faxon Township, Sibley County Mass of the caterpillars o one milkweed leave. Several leaves already stripped.



Michelle L. Leddon, BSN-RN 7/28/2016	Location: Pittsburgh, PA Found 2 in Pittsburgh, PA (McCandless Township)



Dan W. Andree 2016	Location: Gary Pines While out on a walk in the Gary Pines just north of Gary, Mn. In one area there were some milkweed plants. I noticed this caterpillar on a dried discolored leaf that was on a live milkweed plant. Interesting caterpillar it was. The colors of the caterpillar and leaf seemed to compliment each other.



Tilton Davis 8/8/2014	Location: Goodhue County, Red Wing, Red Wing High School , MN 55066 Only one seen on milkweeds at school



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