What Is This Grey Black Moth With 8 Large White Spots and Orange Shoulders?

I do like insects that have names that make sense. The White-striped Black Moth for example, is perfect. This one is almost perfect and the bit that makes it hard to remember is at least poetic: this moth is a White-spotted Sable. To me, “sable” reminds me of mink coats and I think of a dark brown colour. And when I look closely at this moth, I see that it actually is dark brown. So I guess the word Sable is appropriate.

Photo of White Spotted Sable On Dandelion On NaturalCrooksDotCom

What Is This Dark Brown Moth With Eight White Spots and Two Orange Stripes On the Neck?

Having now corrected the title, I’ll move on. These White-spotted Sable moths are quite common in June in the parks along the Credit River. They are probably quite common in other forest clearings, too! If you’ve seen them around, please share your sighting with a comment.

Photo of White Spotted Sable Moth On Cow Parsnip On NaturalCrooksDotCom

Like many moths, they seem to prefer to perch underneath leaves and along stems rather than right out in the open. This one had perched on the underside of a Cow Parsnip petal and was curving its proboscis up onto the flower. It looks to me like it’s only touching the petal though, not the centre of the blossom where presumably any nectar is. So I don’t know if it eventually moved or whether it was content with some dew or moisture on the surface of the petal.

Many insects seem to flock to the Cow Parsnip blossoms for either nectar or pollen. They are a native plant, although they look very similar to Giant Hogweed, so the parks do not intend to destroy them. Just as well for this little moth!

Photo of White Spotted Sable Low on NaturalCrooksDotCom

If you do get to see one of these moths face up, there are two distinctive orange marks along the body near where the neck or shoulders would be on an animal. I noticed this orange colour even when the moths were in flight although I couldn’t tell exactly where it was located on them while they were moving.

If It’s a Moth Why Am I Seeing It In the Daytime?

We tend to think of moths as night creatures and butterflies as day-time insects. Unfortunately, like the distinctions between vegetables and fruits, the moths and butterflies never agreed that there was a clear line between the two.

White-spotted Sables and White-striped Black moths are often seen in the daytime. The Sables like to visit flowers; This makes them especially noticeable.

Photo of White Spotted Sable On Dandelion Showing Abdomen On NaturalCrooksDotCom

It’s said that moths more often perch with their wings flat than butterflies but to be honest I’ve seen many, many open-winged butterflies perching from Monarchs to Mourning Cloaks and many of the dark-winged Skippers. I’ve given up and have a good field guide for each: The ROM Guide to the Butterflies of Ontario and the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America.

Where Do White-spotted Sable Caterpillars Lurk?

Photo of White Spotted Sable Close on Grasses on NaturalCrooksDotCom

According to the write up on BugGuide.Net, the young feed on Goldenrod. No wonder they are found throughout most of Canada!

I hope to see more of these moths again in June. Like Pandas and Penguins their black and white colouring appeals to me.

Photo of White Spotted Sable on Short Flower on NaturalCrooksDotCom

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Have you noticed some of these spotted moths visiting flowers in your neighbourhood? Please share your sighting with a comment.

102 thoughts on “What Is This Grey Black Moth With 8 Large White Spots and Orange Shoulders?

  1. 05/31/2018 Bridgehampton-Long Island-New York
    Saw one this morning cruising happily around our garden and good a nice capture of it :) Beautiful!

  2. Saw one today(June 1st) in my back yard in Port Dover, Ontario. It was flitting around our neighbour’s Virginia Creeper.

    • Inteeresting–BugGuide says the caterpillars feed on Goldenrod, so I wonder if it was more interested in the flowers on the Virginia Creeper or just warming up on the leaves. Thanks for sharing!

  3. I have three of these right now on the porch screen in my house in Door County Wisconsin. We live just south of Egg Harbor. Posted June 11,2018.

  4. Saw one in our “Crescent Moon” garden in Stevens Point, WI. He liked both the purple and the white salvia. My husband found him and called me to look. The moth was patient with our gawking; we were both charmed by his tiny size and fancy design.

  5. A large one of about six inches wide greeted me to my surprise after exiting my car the other day and even after I shooed it away tried to follow me into the garage… I saw a baby one this morning so apparently they have a little family down here in Florida…

    • Interesting! You may have seen one of the White Spotted Sables and another moth. The large one is too large for a Sable. Unless they were very close in size, they would not be the same type, as moths do all their “growing” at the caterpillar stage. Once their wings emerge, they cannot get any larger. Thanks for sharing!

    • I wonder if this means a second batch is out for the summer or if they live for over a month? Either way, I’m glad you saw one and thanks for sharing!

  6. this moth was on my sons diaper inside our house this morning! it scared me so bad! so beautiful though

  7. From England, this is my first time ever seeing one, Pretty and interesting so hence I looked it up.
    It was on the glass door. Our aspect is dense forest but with large clearing.
    Burnsville NC

    • There are a couple of moths that are a bit similar to this. You may want to borrow the Peterson Guide from the library, if you can, to double check yours if you are interested. They are quite striking!

  8. Saw one at Lake Scott State Park in Western Kansas Memorial Day Weekend. Beautiful. Took a little while to identify because being from Kansas we call them millers not moths.

  9. On June 2, 2019, at about 5:15pm here in central west New Jersey, I saw one for the first time. It was on the inside rim of pool. It seemed to be going after those teeny red bugs that like the rim and edge of pool. The sable moth let me get very close for at least 15 minutes. Close enough to see the yellow markings on upper torso and its eyes.

  10. Just saw one perched on an astilbe plume in northeast Connecticut near the University of Connecticut.

  11. Saw one this evening on the hyssop in New Douglas Il. Have never seen one before they are just beautiful hope to see more.

  12. Saw one yesterday on my deck, Independence, KY. Had never seen one before. Came in out of the rain. Got a couple decent pics.

  13. Saw this striking little moth under the flower cluster of common milkweed in my yard on the morning of July 4th. First time sighting. So happy to learn about and see in my yard!

      • Spotted one on our window near Boone, NC, on July, 21, 2020. I was amazed how thick the wings were and how much it looked like stained glass.

  14. I found this moth on my peony blooms in my front garden. I thought it was a butterfly until I looked it up – hadn’t seen one before! Took some good photos for identification. Very interesting information here and was glad to see so many other sightings! Whitby, Ontario

    • I think humans invented the split of moths vs butterflies, like we did vegetables and fruit. Sometimes it’s very hard to decide why one is a butterfly and one is a moth!

  15. Gorgeous moth on the hyssop here in New Douglas Il. Will be looking for more. So beautiful. Did get a lovely picture.

  16. I think I got a glimpse of one of these this afternoon while picking some milkweed for the monarchs I am raising. They certainly are vibrant. I’m in Arlington, WI.

  17. I saw one yesterday on a fence post in my backyard, Bucks County PA. At first I was afraid it might be a spotted lantern fly, after studying it for a moment I realized it was not let it live!

  18. I took a picture of what I think is one in East Flat Rock North Carolina? I can send it to you.

    • Unfortunately there’s no way to send it to me, but you could post it to a website/app called “iNaturalist” Then it will get added to the map of observations for the species. Thanks for sharing your sighting with us, too!

  19. Saw 3 of these beauties today in Waterloo, Ontario flitting around my grape vine. Very shy, but stayed still long enough to get a couple of photos.

  20. Just found one sitting by my garage. It was closed winged and the stripes on the shoulders seems cream coloured (like the spots) not orange.

    • If you are interested, there is a website called iNaturalist.org where people post their photos and the location for others to see. And thank you for sharing your sighting with us!

  21. I had something that looked extremely similar to this chasing me yesterday. it landed on me, and I felt something like a bite, and shooed it away, and it just kept coming back. I ran like a block away, and the thing still came and kept trying to land on my calves. Freaked me out, but now that I know it was a moth, why the heck was it bothering me?

    • These are very small moths, so I think it may have been a different insect that was giving you trouble. Moths (and butterflies) don’t have anything they can bite or sting with, just a little rollup straw they can sip nectar or water with. Sorry you had a bad time!

  22. Don’t see my post so reposting from yesterday. Spotted one on a red coneflower in New Douglas Il.
    Such a beauty

    • Very sorry for the delay. With this virus around I haven’t been able to use the internet much unfortunately. Thanks for sharing your visitor though!

  23. I saw this moth yesterday, fluttering in my yard in Cayuta, New York. It caught my attention because it looks checkered when it flies!!!!!! It’s small and it didn’t like me following it, but I finally got a photo once it stopped to rest! Beautiful!

  24. I saw one on my window yesterday. I’ve never seen anything like it, it was beautiful. Had to look online to see what it was. I went upstairs to get a picture with my phone, but unfortunately was too late.

  25. 7:38 pm … just saw the beautiful little moth in Kenbridge, Virginia … striking, but flew away before I could capture it in a piece. Will be on the lookout for more,

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