The Garden Dart (Euxoa nigricans) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is distributed throughout Europe.

This is a rather drab species, forewings ranging from pale to dark brown with indistinct markings. The hindwings are white with a grey fringe. The wingspan is 32-40 mm. This moth flies at night in July and August and is attracted to light and many different flowers.

The larva is green or brown with two white stripes down each side. It feeds on a range of plants (see list below). The species overwinters as an egg.

1. The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

Recorded food plants

• Allium
• Beta - Beet
• Brassica
• Daucus - Carrot
• Gossypium - Cotton plant
• Lactuca - Lettuce
• Pastinaca - Parsnip
• Phaseolus
• Poaceae - Grasses
• Polygonum - Knotgrass
• Solanum - Potato
• Trifolium - Clover
• Vitis - Grape

External link

• Garden Dart at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera pages

References

• Chinery, Michael Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
• Skinner, Bernard Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles 1984

Noctuidae