Bug FAQFlame Shoulder Moth
Ochropleura plecta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Flame Shoulder, flame-shouldered dart
The Flame Shoulder Moth has a wingspan of about 28 to 34 mm and bright reddish-brown forewings with a distinctive black streak, white spots and a creamy-yellow edge, while its hindwings are pure white. It lives across the Palearctic from Ireland to Japan, produces two generations each year with adults on the wing in spring-early summer and again in late summer-autumn, and overwinters as a pupa.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are reddish brown with a black streak broken by white spots and a creamy-yellow stripe along the leading edge, giving the moth its common name. Hindwings are completely white.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 28 to 34 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars are grey with a yellow stripe on each side and feed on many different plants. Adult moths are nocturnal, attracted to light, sugar and the flowers of ragwort.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species overwinters in the pupal stage.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in two periods: April-June and August-September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found throughout the Palearctic region, from Ireland in the west across to Siberia, Korea and Japan in the east.
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
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I expect to see adult Flame Shoulder Moths?
Adults appear in two flights, one from April through June and a second in August and September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this moth found?
It occurs across the Palearctic, from Ireland to Siberia, Korea and Japan.
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/Flame_shoulder
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.