Heart and Dart
Agrotis exclamationis
The Heart and Dart is a moth of the family Noctuidae. A familiar moth to many, it is considered one of the most common of the European region. It occurs throughout the Palearctic ecozone from Ireland to Japan.
This is a quite variable species, forewings ranging from pale to dark brown but always recognizable by the distinctively shaped dark stigmata which give it its common name. The hindwings are whitish . The wingspan is 35–44 mm. This species usually has a dark area at the front of the thorax, visible as a horizontal bar when viewing the moth head-on. This moth flies at night from May to July and is attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers. It also frequently visits nectar-rich flowers such as ''Buddleia'', ragwort and Red Valerian.
The larva is brown above and grey below and feeds on a variety of plants, both wild and cultivated . This is one of the notorious cutworms and often severs or fatally damages plants at the base. The species overwinters as a full-grown larva in a chamber in the soil before pupating in the spring.
#^ ''The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.''
This is a quite variable species, forewings ranging from pale to dark brown but always recognizable by the distinctively shaped dark stigmata which give it its common name. The hindwings are whitish . The wingspan is 35–44 mm. This species usually has a dark area at the front of the thorax, visible as a horizontal bar when viewing the moth head-on. This moth flies at night from May to July and is attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers. It also frequently visits nectar-rich flowers such as ''Buddleia'', ragwort and Red Valerian.
The larva is brown above and grey below and feeds on a variety of plants, both wild and cultivated . This is one of the notorious cutworms and often severs or fatally damages plants at the base. The species overwinters as a full-grown larva in a chamber in the soil before pupating in the spring.
#^ ''The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.''