Bug FAQSnowy Dart
Anicla illapsa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Snowy Dart Moth
The snowy dart moth has a wingspan of about 29 to 35 mm. It lives across eastern North America, from New Brunswick down to Florida and west to Texas, Nebraska and Ontario. Adults fly from May through October and produce two generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Anicla illapsa belongs to the Noctuidae family of moths.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges between 29 and 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae have been raised on timothy grass and likely eat various other grasses in the wild.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to October, with two generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults spans May through October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes eastern Canada and the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, New Jersey.
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
When are snowy dart moths active?
Adults are active from May through October, 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/Anicla_illapsa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.