Late November visitor

Of every 200 moths I see in November, 199 of them are winter moths. This one, much more robust and dare I admit it more charismatic, was perched on the sink in the upstairs bathroom.


You can see its scales are worn away on its head and thorax. This is a stalwart survivor, battered by time and the elements, and clever enough to slip into the warmth of the house. Someone on the facebook Mothing and Moth Identification group identified it as the adult of the armyworm Mythimna unipuncta. This species is found on both New World continents as well as Europe, Africa, and Asia, not to mention various islands. The caterpillars feed on a broad range of grass species--an order of plants found anywhere modern humans are growing food or playing fields.