A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Spodoptera ornithogalli
AKA: Yellow-striped Armyworm (larva) Cotton Cutworm (larva) Size: Wingspan 32-44 mm Larvae to 45 mm Adult: forewing brown with bluish-brown shading inside AM line and near apex and anal angle; oblique yellowish shade line extends across orbicular spot and almost to PM line; white mark below reniform spot forks to form a sideways Y shape; lower median area dark gray (or orangish-yellow in form "flavimedia"); hindwing translucent white with blackish veins and terminal line Larva: smooth-skinned, pale gray to black with yellowish-orange stripe along each side and two black triangular spots on top of most segments; head capsule brown with black markings and white inverted V shape
Range: across southern United States (Florida to California) plus eastern states, west to Kansas, and southeastern Canada from Nova Scotia to Ontario Season: adults fly from April to November; most common June to September Food: Larvae feed on many herbaceous plants, including alfalfa, asparagus, bean, beet, cabbage, clover, corn, cotton, cucumber, grape, grass, jimsonweed, morning glory, onion, pea, peach, peanut, pokeweed, sweet potato, tobacco, tomato, turnip, wheat, watermelon, and wild onion.
Porch light visitor.
Spotted on Nov 5, 2012
Submitted on Nov 6, 2012
