Baldcypress sphinx moth
Isoparce cupressi
Moth
The baldcypress sphinx is a narrow host-use hawkmoth whose caterpillars feed on Taxodium, especially baldcypress. The brown adult is easy to miss, but the larval relationship is garden-relevant wherever baldcypress is planted as a wetland, pond-edge, or floodplain tree. Supporting it means keeping Taxodium foliage available and avoiding broad insecticide treatments during the caterpillar season.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 1
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists bald cypress as the larval host for the baldcypress sphinx moth (Isoparce cupressi), a Taxodium-feeding specialist.
Range
Southeastern and south-central United States, following baldcypress and related Taxodium habitats in swamp, bottomland, and wetland-edge landscapes.
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.). Baldcypress sphinx moth (Isoparce cupressi). Retrieved 2026, June 27, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/isoparce-cupressi
Sources for wildlife facts
7 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
BAMONA: Baldcypress Sphinx Isoparce cupressi
Species profile used for taxonomy, range, seasonality, and Taxodium larval-host context.
Backs 4 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Lifecycle
Host plants
BugGuide: Isoparce cupressi
Identification and host-plant cross-check for the baldcypress sphinx moth.
Backs 3 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Host plants