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.
3 essential relationships / 0 supporting plants
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.
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 · 3
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 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 page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Buck moth (Hemileuca maia). Retrieved 2026, June 27, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/hemileuca-maia
Sources for wildlife facts
7 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
BAMONA: Buck Moth Hemileuca maia
Species profile used for taxonomy, eastern range, adult flight context, and oak larval-host relationship.
Backs 4 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Lifecycle
Host plants
BugGuide: Hemileuca maia
North American identification and seasonality cross-check for buck moth.
Backs 3 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Lifecycle