Feltia herilis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Feltia herilis, the herald dart or Master's dart, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. It is found in North America from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, north to the Northwest Territories border and south to the Gulf Coast.
The wingspan is 34–44 mm. Adults are on wing from July to October. There is one generation per year. The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants, including crops, forages, vegetables, forbs and herbs. Adults have been reported to feed on nectar, with one report on Liatris. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Master's Dart sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 185th most-seen of the 461 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Master's Dart in Denver on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. Those are among Denver's wettest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Master's Dart sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Master's Dart sightings, Denver ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Boston (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Master's Dart is recorded against all the insects logged in Denver (22 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
