Flame Shoulder Moth

Ochropleura plecta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Flame Shoulder, flame-shouldered dart

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Flame Shoulder Moth
Photo: Nigel Voaden, CC BY

The flame shoulder moth has a wingspan of about 28 to 34 mm and its forewings are reddish-brown with a distinctive black streak broken by white spots and a creamy-yellow edge, while the hindwings are pure white. It lives across the Palearctic region from Ireland to Siberia, Korea and Japan, flies at night, is attracted to light, sugar and ragwort flowers, and produces two generations each year, overwintering as a pupa.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan ranges from 28 to 34 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The caterpillars are grey with yellow side stripes and feed on many plant species. Adults are nocturnal, attracted to light, sugar and ragwort flowers.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

The species overwinters in the pupal stage.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are active in two periods: April-June and August-September.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Found throughout the Palearctic, from Ireland east to Siberia, Korea and Japan.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Wisconsin, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Months it is reported in the US

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

Same family (Noctuidae)

Ipsilon Dart MothIpsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Armyworm MothFall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or cropsArmy Cutworm MothArmy Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Yellow UnderwingLarge Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSilver ΥSilver ΥAutographa gammaAmerican DaggerAmerican DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skin

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_shoulder

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.