Bug FAQDark Dart
Abagrotis duanca · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Dark Dart Moth
The Dark Dart moth (Abagrotis duanca) has a wingspan of about 28 mm and belongs to the Noctuidae family, first described in 1908. It lives in the Pacific Northwest of North America, with records only from the extreme southeastern corner of Alberta. Adults fly in June and July, producing one generation per year in Alberta, and they feed on plants such as Artemisia tridentata.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 28 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Reported food plants include Artemisia tridentata.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 11 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
When are Dark Dart moths active?
Adults fly in June and July, producing a single generation each year in Alberta.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do Dark Dart moths feed on?
They have been reported to feed on Artemisia tridentata.
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/Abagrotis_duanca
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.