Imperial moth
Eacles imperialis
Moth
Large yellow-and-purple silk moth (Saturniidae) whose larvae feed on Acer (maple), Quercus (oak), Pinus, Sassafras, and a wide range of other deciduous and evergreen woody plants. Caterpillars can reach 4 inches and feed solitary at the canopy edge. The adult moth's wingspan is 3-7 inches; adults do not feed. Populations have declined meaningfully across the eastern United States due to a combination of light pollution (disrupts mating), habitat fragmentation, and parasitoid pressure from introduced tachinid flies.
Conservation
No formal IUCN listing but declining across the eastern range per multiple state-level observations; planting native canopy trees (oaks especially) and reducing outdoor lighting are the canonical conservation actions.
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.
6 essential relationships / 0 supporting plants
Host/specialist links: 6
Forage/pollination links: 0
Shelter links: 0
Relationship roles: 1
Black oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage alongside the hairstreaks and duskywings that also use Quercus on dry upland sites.
Chestnut oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage across the eastern hardwood range this species occupies.
Chinkapin oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage across the eastern hardwood range this species occupies.
Eastern white pine
Essential / Larval host plants
Loblolly pine
Essential / Larval host plants
Imperial moth is one of the few large saturniids that feeds on pine as well as hardwoods, and loblolly is within its southeastern range. The pine-feeding larvae are green and strikingly different in appearance from the hardwood-feeding form.
Northern red oak
Essential / Larval host plants
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on Quercus canopy through summer alongside multiple hairstreak (Banded, Edward's, Gray, White-M per NC State) and duskywing (Horace's, Juvenal's) species. Oak canopy is the foundational eastern hardwood Lep habitat.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 23
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage alongside the hairstreaks and duskywings that also use Quercus on dry upland sites.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents black walnut as a larval host for large silk moths (Saturniidae), naming the luna and regal moths; the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) is a closely related polyphagous Saturniid that also uses walnut, mapped here as the nearest catalogued silk-moth host.
Oaks (Quercus spp.) are among the commonly reported larval hosts of the polyphagous imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), per Butterflies and Moths of North America; host use is regional, so this is recorded as plausible rather than a documented bur-oak-specific record.
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage across the eastern hardwood range this species occupies.
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage across the eastern hardwood range this species occupies.
Imperial moth is one of the few large saturniids that feeds on pine as well as hardwoods, and loblolly is within its southeastern range. The pine-feeding larvae are green and strikingly different in appearance from the hardwood-feeding form.
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on Quercus canopy through summer alongside multiple hairstreak (Banded, Edward's, Gray, White-M per NC State) and duskywing (Horace's, Juvenal's) species. Oak canopy is the foundational eastern hardwood Lep habitat.
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on Carya foliage; hickories are among Tallamy's keystone Lepidoptera-host genera.
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on oak foliage alongside numerous hairstreaks and duskywings that also use Quercus. Oak canopy is the foundational eastern-hardwood host habitat for native Lepidoptera.
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage across the southern and central range this species occupies.
NC State: "Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south."
NC State documents sassafras among the imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larval hosts alongside maples, oaks, and pines.
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on oak foliage through summer; oaks are among the foundational larval hosts of the eastern hardwood Lepidoptera community.
Carya hosts imperial moth + multiple hairstreak + duskywing species - among Tallamy's keystone genera with hundreds of supported Lepidoptera.
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on oak foliage among the many hairstreak and duskywing species oak canopy hosts; oak is one of the most important larval-host genera in eastern North America.
Like all oaks, live oak hosts imperial moth + multiple hairstreak + duskywing species.
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage. This is one of the giant silkmoths whose southern populations are strongly associated with the upland oak-pine woods southern red oak helps form.
NC State: "Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south."
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage through the summer, alongside the many hairstreaks, duskywings and underwing moths that use Quercus as a host.
Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae feed on Quercus canopy through summer; one of the giant silk moths declining across the eastern range due to light pollution. Planting oaks is the canonical conservation action.
Imperial moth larvae feed on oak foliage alongside the hairstreaks and duskywings that also use Quercus. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center specifically lists white M hairstreak and Horace's duskywing as willow oak larval users.
Range
Eastern and central North America from southern Ontario to Florida; one brood per year in the south (April-October), with northern populations producing one flight in late summer.
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.). Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/imperial-moth
Sources used for this record
This record is compiled from the sources below.
BAMONA: Imperial moth
Species profile for range, brood timing, adult non-feeding status, and broad woody host list.
MDC Field Guide: Imperial moth
State agency species account used for identification detail, larval and adult food, and life-cycle timing. Missouri-scoped, so it is not cited for continental range.
Wikipedia: Eacles imperialis
Corroborating reference for adult size, range decline context, light-pollution pressure, and larval host trees.
GBIF: Eacles imperialis
GBIF backbone key 1865107 is an exact accepted match for the imperial moth Eacles imperialis in family Saturniidae.
iNaturalist: Eacles imperialis
iNaturalist taxon 81590 is the active species record for Eacles imperialis with observation range data.