Last week we had a dash of exceptionally warm weather, with highs in the mid 70s. It was a great (although probably not healthy from a global warming standpoint) break from the weeks of cold that preceded the sunshine. The kids and I went to the park to meet up with friends and grab some grub from Rockwell in Francis Park. We took in as much of the sunshine as we could and even let the kids get some additional time before bed to enjoy a show. It was during the show that I first noticed something flutter by in the dark, barely illuminated by the blue hue that emanated from the television. A small ghostly apparition zipped from one side of the room to the other and disappeared out of sight. I was not concerned enough with our visitor to end the snuggle session with the kids and figured I would find out what it was in due time.
After the kids went to bed, I started my nighttime routine of flossing (not the dance) and brushing my teeth when the invader found me. This is the second time a moth was discovered in the bathroom; I assume the round light fixture resembles the moon enough that the moths get confused. This one landed on my shoulder before fluttering away to land on the marbled sink, unrolling its proboscis into a small pool of water. I have seen this type of moth before, or at least a very similar species, but usually not in February, and not in my house. The moth in question is an Implicit Arches moth (Lacinipolia implicata), or at least I am 90% confident that it is.
There are other species under the genus Lacinipolia that look very, very similar. The other possibilities would be the Laudable Arches (Lacinipolia laudabilis) or the Explicit Arches (Lacinipolia explicata). This moth didn’t have the orange patch markings on the wings that are common on Laudable Arches and didn’t cuss like a sailor, thus I ruled out the Laudable Arches and the Explicit Arches, respectively. With that said, though, the runner-up for this species would be the Laudable Arches, but only because they can be found on the wing (as adults) year-round, whereas the Implicit Arches are typically found on the wing from April through October, with two generations of adults. However, it is worth noting the range for Laudable Arches includes areas where temperatures do not drop to freezing.
The Explicit Arches can be found from Texas eastward, with the northernmost range being Missouri. The Implicit Arches range from Mexico up into Canada from the east coast all the way to Nebraska. The Laudable Arches range is similar to the Implicit Arches but only goes as far north as New Jersey. So you can see, these moths not only look very similar but have a lot of overlap, which makes narrowing down the exact species a bit of a daunting task. Also, keep in mind that there are always variations with individuals, so some may not have as bright of or as distinct markings, which makes identifying these guys with 100% accuracy often take actual DNA analysis.
All three of these species have been observed sipping the sweet nectar from dandelions. Outside of this, very little information…not much else is known about this particular species. They are not even mentioned in any of my entomology books, and even online information is scarce. As far as this individual goes, I am not sure if he came out of his cocoon early due to the warm weather or if he was just dormant somewhere. Butterflies and moths are able to vibrate their wings to warm their body temperatures up, but that can only go so far. With external temperatures too cold and few food sources available, very few species actually overwinter as adults. The majority of moth species that are found in areas with cold winters have their populations confined to the larval stage through winter. Whatever the case may be for this particular moth, I will never know. I decided that it is best to return the moth to nature so at the very least it would get to enjoy a little bit of the unusually warm weather.
References:
https://www.butterflyidentification.org/information.php?primary_name=explicit-arches-moth
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1451893
Flora Fauna STL 
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