Bug FAQAttentive Dart
Eueretagrotis attentus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Attentive Dart Moth
The adult has a wingspan of about three centimeters. It lives across much of Canada and the northern United States, extending south through the Appalachians to the Great Smoky Mountains. One generation emerges each year, with adults flying from early June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 30 to 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found from Nova Scotia west to Saskatchewan and the adjacent northern states, and south in the Appalachians to the Great Smoky Mountains, with a single record in northern Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat leaves of blueberry, willow, yellow birch, elder and strawberry plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species produces one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to North America, spanning eastern Canada to the central United States and the southern Appalachian region.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Vermont, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, New York, West Virginia, Maine.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see adult Attentive Dart moths?
Adults are active from early June until August.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the larvae feed on?
The caterpillars feed on blueberry, willow, yellow birch, elder and strawberry leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eueretagrotis_attentus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.