Bug FAQSordid Dart Moth
Euxoa adumbrata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Sordid Dart
The sordid dart moth has a wingspan of about 34 to 40 mm. Its caterpillars eat dandelion (Taraxacum) and knotweed (Polygonum) species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Euxoa adumbrata, called the sordid dart, belongs to the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 34 to 40 mm (1.3 to 1.6 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is also found in Greenland, coastal Scandinavia and the Urals.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on plants in the Taraxacum (dandelion) and Polygonum (knotweed) genera.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The sordid dart produces one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In North America the species occurs from eastern Canada to western Alaska and the northern US. Its range extends to Greenland, the coasts of Scandinavia and the Ural region.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, Colorado, Michigan, Washington, Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
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
Questions people ask
What do sordid dart caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on dandelion (Taraxacum) and knotweed (Polygonum) species.
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/Euxoa_adumbrata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.