Bug FAQExplicit Arches
Lacinipolia explicata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 28 to 30 mm. The caterpillars eat clover species and common dandelion.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 28 to 30 mm across the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on species of clover and on common dandelion.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The moth has two generations each year, with adults flying in April and again in September.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in April and again in September, producing two yearly generations.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is the southeastern United States, covering Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, Missouri and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 24 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Tennessee, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are adult Explicit Arches moths active?
Adults appear in two periods each year, one in April and another in September.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on clover species and on common dandelion.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lacinipolia_explicata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.