Kebnat

Butterflies and Moths

Lepidoptera · 2,108 species · 68 families

In Québec, the order Lepidoptera brings together 2,108 species of insects, in 68 families. The stars? Monarch, Common Blue and Red-spotted Admiral, the most often observed. The richest region: Capitale-Nationale, with 1,382 species. Every species has its own page: photos, its season, its habitat and the best places to see it near you.

Species observed by region

Where do the observations come from?

  • Mostly iNaturalist : photos taken by people all over Québec, with the species confirmed by the community.
  • Other public sources : such as eBird for birds and the provincial forest inventories, gathered by GBIF, the global biodiversity data network.
  • What we keep : confirmed observations, with an exact position (not blurred to protect a rare species), that their author allows to be reused.
  • One place counts once : several observations of the same species at the same spot (within 11 m) count as one.
  • So our numbers are lower : than iNaturalist’s total. A region without observations does not mean the species does not live there.

Data downloaded in September 2026.

  1. Capitale-Nationale1,382
  2. Montérégie1,377
  3. Abitibi-Témiscamingue1,358
  4. Outaouais1,333
  5. Estrie1,104
  6. Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean965
  7. Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine950
  8. Laurentides892
  9. Bas-Saint-Laurent865
  10. Montréal834
  11. Lanaudière732
  12. Mauricie710
  13. Chaudière-Appalaches633
  14. Côte-Nord618
  15. Nord-du-Québec369
  16. Centre-du-Québec361
  17. Laval195

Butterflies and Moths 2,108

Lepidoptera
All4,550Lepidoptera2,108Coleoptera1,199Hemiptera482Hymenoptera230Diptera210Odonata151Orthoptera61Trichoptera35Ephemeroptera23Neuroptera21Mecoptera9Blattodea7Plecoptera7Dermaptera4Mantodea2Phasmida1
Family
All2,108Noctuidae445Tortricidae317Geometridae242Erebidae203Crambidae132Gelechiidae84Pyralidae80Gracillariidae68Nymphalidae51Notodontidae49Lycaenidae31Sphingidae31Tineidae31Hesperiidae29Depressariidae26Nepticulidae24Sesiidae21Coleophoridae18Limacodidae15Pterophoridae14Momphidae13Pieridae13Nolidae12Saturniidae11Argyresthiidae10Drepanidae8Oecophoridae8Blastobasidae6Cosmopterigidae6Hepialidae6Lasiocampidae6Papilionidae6Bucculatricidae5Choreutidae5Cossidae5Tischeriidae5Autostichidae4Carposinidae4Elachistidae4Ethmiidae4Heliozelidae4Psychidae4Yponomeutidae4Euteliidae3Glyphipterigidae3Plutellidae3Scythrididae3Ypsolophidae3Adelidae2Alucitidae2Apatelodidae2Eriocraniidae2Incurvariidae2Lyonetiidae2Prodoxidae2Schreckensteiniidae2Uraniidae2Attevidae1Batrachedridae1Bedelliidae1Dryadaulidae1Epermeniidae1Heliodinidae1Lecithoceridae1Micropterigidae1Opostegidae1Thyrididae1Urodidae1
Monarch5,460 observations
Common Blue2,937 observations
Red-spotted Admiral2,619 observations
Small White2,401 observations
Red Admiral2,128 observations
Mourning Cloak2,070 observations
Black Swallowtail2,009 observations
Isabella Tiger Moth1,981 observations
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail1,792 observations
Banded Tussock Moth1,547 observations
Spongy Moth1,497 observations
Clouded Sulphur1,377 observations
Virginia Ctenucha Moth1,314 observations
Viceroy1,295 observations
Pearl Crescent1,221 observations
Hickory Tussock Moth1,220 observations
American Dagger1,192 observations
Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth1,149 observations
Hobomok Skipper1,073 observations
Virginian Tiger Moth1,046 observations
Spotted Tussock Moth1,045 observations
Polyphemus Moth999 observations
Silvery Blue964 observations
Pale Beauty956 observations
Large Yellow Underwing941 observations
Milkweed Tussock Moth938 observations
Northern Azure922 observations
Essex Skipper893 observations
Lesser Maple Spanworm Moth774 observations
Common Gluphisia Moth773 observations
Northern Pearly-eye743 observations
North American Luna Moth735 observations
Eastern Comma734 observations
Painted Lady730 observations
Fall Webworm Moth718 observations
Silver-spotted Skipper682 observations
Arched Hooktip Moth675 observations
American Lady611 observations
Painted Lichen Moth602 observations
Modest Sphinx599 observations
Blinded Sphinx598 observations
Rosy Maple Moth587 observations
Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth563 observations
Oblique-banded Leafroller Moth561 observations
Sigmoid Prominent561 observations
Brother Moth554 observations
Double-banded Grass-veneer552 observations
Common Wood-Nymph552 observations