Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFGeometridae Members: Epimecis Members: 1015 NC Records

Epimecis hortaria (Fabricius, 1794) - Tulip-tree Beauty

Epimecis hortariaEpimecis hortariaEpimecis hortariaEpimecis hortaria
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Geometroidea		 Family:
Geometridae		Subfamily:
Ennominae		Tribe:
Boarmiini		P3 Number:
91a0999		 MONA Number:
6599.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution: Statewide
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Epimecis hortariaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, feeding on many hardwood trees and shrubs. Wagner et al. (2001) specifically list spicebush (Lindera), Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), Magnolia, redbay (Persea), and Sassafras (Sassafras albidum). In North Carolina, larvae have been recorded on Common Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica), Southern Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum), and Swamp Redbay (Persea palustris). - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Forests and Shrublands
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Epimecis hortaria - Tulip-tree Beauty

 394 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-11
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-09-03
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Michael P Morales on 2025-08-18
Cumberland Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Marilyn Westphal and Becky Elkin on 2025-08-17
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-16
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: David George, Kevin Bischof, Rich Teper, Patrick Coin on 2025-08-15
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-11
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-06
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Sarah Toner and Larry Chen on 2025-07-30
Tyrrell Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-29
Madison Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-27
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2025-07-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: David George, Jeff Niznik, Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf on 2025-07-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-07-06
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: David George, David Cheng, Patrick Coin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: David George on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-22
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-06-22
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George, Larry Chen, Sarah Toner, Joye Zhou on 2025-06-20
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: K. Bischof on 2025-06-20
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Nora Murdock on 2025-06-18
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-14
Rowan Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Melanie Flood on 2025-06-12
Currituck Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Melanie Flood on 2025-06-12
Currituck Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-04
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-05-21
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Epimecis hortaria
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-05-18
Buncombe Co.
Comment: