Bug FAQFlame-shouldered Dart
Ochropleura implecta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: American Flame Shoulder, Flame-shouldered Dart Moth
Source: Wikipedia
The flame-shouldered dart has a wingspan of about 25 to 32 mm. Adults fly from April through September and produce two generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It was formally described in 1998 by Don Lafontaine, who separated it from the similar European species Ochropleura plecta.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 25 to 32 mm (about 1 inch).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on a variety of plants, including beet, clover, chicory and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are active from April to September and there are two generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Moths are on the wing from spring through early fall.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers Newfoundland to South Carolina, west to Arizona, and north to British Columbia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It closely resembles the European Ochropleura plecta, but was distinguished as a separate species in 1998.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 41 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Is the flame-shouldered dart a problem for my garden?
Its larvae can chew on garden plants such as beet, clover, chicory and willow, so it may become a minor garden pest.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see adult flame-shouldered darts?
Adults are flying from April through September, producing two generations each year.
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/Ochropleura_implecta
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.