Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Xestia Members: 118 NC Records

Xestia smithii (Snellen, 1896) - Smith's Dart

Xestia smithiiXestia smithiiXestia smithiiXestia smithii
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Noctuinae		Tribe:
Noctuini		P3 Number:
933572		 MONA Number:
10944.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Xestia smithiiAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
Larval Host Plants: Larvae are polyphagous, with reported hosts including alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), strawberry (Fragaria), apple (Malus), passionflower (Passiflora), cherry (Prunus), dock (Rumex), elderberry (Sambucus), Viburnum, Viola, and grape (Vitis) (Wagner et al., 2011). - View
Wikipedia
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S3S4]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Xestia smithii - Smith's Dart

 49 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-10-15
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2025-09-28
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin and Marilyn Westphal. on 2025-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Merrill Lynch on 2025-08-31
Watauga Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-29
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2024-09-20
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-19
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-17
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-11
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2024-09-02
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-27
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2023-09-29
Graham Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-26
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Ivanna Knox, Marietta Shattelroe and Avery Young on 2023-09-21
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-19
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka, Bo Sullivan and Becky Elkin on 2023-09-14
Macon Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-12
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-09-10
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2023-08-18
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2022-10-30
Buncombe Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-16
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2022-09-07
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2022-09-06
Graham Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: David George, L.M. Carlson, Becky Watkins on 2022-08-14
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-10-06
Madison Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-09-19
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Stephen Hall and Bo Sullivan on 2021-09-14
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Xestia smithii
Recorded by: Jim Petranka on 2021-09-12
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Xestia smithii
Recorded by: tom ward on 2021-09-07
Buncombe Co.
Comment: