Buck moth
Hemileuca maia
Moth
The buck moth is an eastern North American saturniid whose dark, spiny caterpillars feed communally when young and mature into solitary oak-feeding larvae. Adults fly in autumn, often around the first deer-hunting season in parts of the East, which gives the moth its common name. In gardens and restoration plantings, the support action is simple but large-scale: protect native oaks and tolerate some spring caterpillar feeding so the adult moths can complete their fall flight.
Plan for this species
Location-fit plant set for Chicago, IL: host and specialist plants first, then nectar, fruit, seed, foliage, and shelter plants that still fit the current and mid-century climate read.
5 essential relationships / 0 supporting plants
Host/specialist links: 5
Forage/pollination links: 0
Shelter links: 0
Relationship roles: 1
Black oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Buck moth is an oak specialist strongly associated with dry, sandy and scrubby oak ground - exactly the upland habitat black oak occupies. Its communal spring caterpillars and autumn adult flight are one of the more visible insect events on an oak barren.
Northern red oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Buck moth larvae feed on oak foliage; northern red oak is a representative native Quercus host within the eastern oak canopy this species depends on.
Post oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Buck moth is an oak specialist of dry, sandy and scrubby oak country, and post oak barrens and savannas are among its characteristic habitats. Its autumn adult flight is one of the few conspicuous insect events on this kind of dry ground.
White oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Buck moth larvae feed on oak foliage; white oak is a representative native Quercus host within the eastern oak canopy this species depends on.
Bur oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Buck moth larvae feed on oaks (Quercus spp.); bur oak is included as a native Quercus support plant, but the relationship is kept plausible because the source is genus-level rather than bur-oak-specific.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 5
Buck moth is an oak specialist strongly associated with dry, sandy and scrubby oak ground - exactly the upland habitat black oak occupies. Its communal spring caterpillars and autumn adult flight are one of the more visible insect events on an oak barren.
Buck moth larvae feed on oaks (Quercus spp.); bur oak is included as a native Quercus support plant, but the relationship is kept plausible because the source is genus-level rather than bur-oak-specific.
Buck moth larvae feed on oak foliage; northern red oak is a representative native Quercus host within the eastern oak canopy this species depends on.
Buck moth is an oak specialist of dry, sandy and scrubby oak country, and post oak barrens and savannas are among its characteristic habitats. Its autumn adult flight is one of the few conspicuous insect events on this kind of dry ground.
Buck moth larvae feed on oak foliage; white oak is a representative native Quercus host within the eastern oak canopy this species depends on.
Range
Eastern North America, with records concentrated from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through the Southeast and into parts of the lower Midwest.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife record. Use the source cards below to explore the references that informed its taxonomy, range, conservation, host plants, foraging, and habitat.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Buck moth (Hemileuca maia). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/hemileuca-maia
Sources used for this record
This record is compiled from the sources below.
BAMONA: Buck Moth Hemileuca maia
Species profile used for taxonomy, eastern range, adult flight context, and oak larval-host relationship.
BugGuide: Hemileuca maia
North American identification and seasonality cross-check for buck moth.
GBIF: Hemileuca maia
GBIF returns an exact accepted species match for Hemileuca maia at key 1865313.
iNaturalist: Hemileuca maia
iNaturalist taxon 122256 is the species Hemileuca maia, the coastal barrens buck moth.