Bug FAQBoomerang Dart
Xestia perquiritata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The boomerang dart moth has a wingspan of about 38 to 45 mm. Adults fly from June through August and there is one generation each year. Its caterpillars eat the needles of spruce and fir trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Xestia perquiritata, called the boomerang dart, belongs to the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 38 to 45 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from June to August, producing one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
You can see adult boomerang darts during the summer months, especially June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers much of North America, including eastern Canada and the northern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 11 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Michigan.
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
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
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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/Xestia_perquiritata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.