Flame-Shouldered Dart

Flame-Shouldered Dart

Ochropleura implecta

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

7 Verified sightings at Great Smoky Mountains National Park From 2019 to 2026
39 In all 4 parks
July Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Flame-Shouldered Dart

Ochropleura implecta is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from Newfoundland to South Carolina, west to Arizona, north to British Columbia. This species was described in 1998 by Don Lafontaine, who distinguished it from the very similar Ochropleura plecta which occurs in Europe and Asia.

The wingspan is 25–32 millimetres (0.98–1.26 in). Adults are on wing from April to September. There are two generations per year. The larvae feed on various plants, including beet, clover, chicory and willow. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
2 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
3 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
2 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
4 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Flame-Shouldered Dart in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Flame-Shouldered Dart sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 513th most-seen of the 822 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.

When is the best time to see a Flame-Shouldered Dart in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

May and July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Flame-Shouldered Dart in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and August–April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Flame-Shouldered Dart?

Between 9 pm and midnight

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Flame-Shouldered Dart sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Great Smoky Mountains National Park the best place to see a Flame-Shouldered Dart?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Flame-Shouldered Dart sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Gros Morne National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Flame-Shouldered Dart live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

Same family: Noctuidae

The closest relatives of the Flame-Shouldered Dart that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Noctuidae, Cutworm Moths and Allies) are Beautiful Wood-Nymph (about 20%), Hebrew Moth (about 10%) and American Dagger (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Flame-Shouldered Dart sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Flame-Shouldered Dart is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

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