#cutworms

[rattyexplores]

Cutworm Camouflage

Unidentified, family Noctuidae

21/03/23

[jaybug-jabbers]

I want to chatter about bugs todayyyyy

So, last night I was on my usual evening walk, staring at the ground as you do (keeping an eye out for any bugs I didn't recognize, or any Very Good Toads or Froggos). And it's terribly dim and I see a fast-moving critter I think is an earwig, but then I see it pop up into the air for a bit before quickly landing again, and I think ho, this probably isn't an earwig. I snap a quick photo with my phone using the flash and when I get home I see it's this little dude. And I look him up and learn it's a webspinner.

I was very excited since I'd never seen it before. Looked up info about them and they are a fascinating species. Very elusive little things that normally live in damp hidy-holes inside networks of webs they spin. They live in loose colonies and they actually spin silk from their front legs! Here's a cute mini-documentary about them. This one here is a male since it has wings. He won't live long, he's just looking to mate and die.

Anyway that was super cool to find. Another story I have from yesterday, well apparently about a month ago my mom brought some potted plants into her bedroom. And yesterday her bathroom counter was covered in dozens of itty bitty baby mantises. She'd accidentally brought a mantis egg case into her room!

Less than a quarter-inch long little babbies. I carefully released them outside in the garden. God they're cute. Was tempted to raise some but I don't know how to raise the little guys, I would need to do proper research first, so I just let them go.

Speaking of the garden, my brother saw a grasshopper on the squash plant the other day:

Most likely a gray bird grasshopper. They're quite pretty to look at.

The cat also found a grub in the house (guessing it hitch-hiked on mom's potted plants as well)

An image search says this is a cutworm of some sort, probably a black cutworm. Guess I shouldn't have released it near the garden lol but oh well, it was in the tambark only slightly near the vegetables, it's probably done feeding anyway and just wants to nap and metamorphize. Probably.

Also here's another shot of the very pale mantises I find during my nightwalks on the sidewalks, looking for bugs drawn to the streetlights.

Okay that's enough bugs for one post

[p-paradoxa]

good morning to this fluffy little woman flapping her wings

[xrinsu]

you wish you were me. finding caterpillars on my tomato plants 4 millimeters long. I found like 3 more today. definitely in the cutworm family.

[pik-zilla-124]

For all moth fans

Made for:

@bunnybiene @saturniidae23 @onenicebugperday

[onenicebugperday]

Little Brown Moth #3, possibly in the genus Feltia? Western Montana

I agree with Feltia, probably a dingy cutworm moth.

[fivetrench]

*saunters jauntily*

[beausbugbiome]

I was digging a spot for some strawberries yesterday and found a few of these little guys in the soil! Any chance you know what they are? Some kind of moth caterpillar or maybe a grub?

Fellow bug lover here 🐛

Hello fellow bug lover!

That little friend looks like a cutworm! When disturbed, they curl up into a ‘c’ shape and like to overwinter in soil. They also like to eat the base of plants, so don’t put it back near your favorite plant, haha. It’ll turn into a moth eventually.

[artastic-friend]

HAVE CATERPILLAR EATING CUCUMBER FROM MY PINKY FINGER

This is a cutworm moth caterpillar of the family Noctuidae I’m decently sure!

Didn’t get too many pictures sadly

Here is another one we found!

[sages-herp-garden]

video of a moth having a panic attack rather than letting me film her

original tiktok [here]. they/them

[captaindunkan]

This is not art guys, sorry, been really busy

But it is a bug, so you're still in luck

This is a little guy I found outside in my garden when he was a little grub, he is an Olive Green Cutworm, and they are know for being not very nice to gardens when caterpillars, so that's why I took him inside to pupate.

He came out just today, and I will probably make him into a silkwing or something, so stay in tuned, again, sorry for no art recently, I've been busy and not motivated, I am leaving for vacation soon, so maybe I'll draw then, see ya!

[rattyexplores]

Cutworm caterpillar burrowing head-first into a flower bud. Doing its own form of weed control.

24/09/23 - Helicoverpa sp. / hostplant: Emilia javanica

QLD:WET - El Arish, farmland weeds

[spasmoticchainsaw]

Dingy cutworm moth

[ayanos-pl]

キバナコスモスにいたハスモンヨトウ（11月16日）

#芋活

tobacco cutworm or cotton leafworm (Spodoptera litura)

[dj-bot]

Ileum by CUTWORM

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Bronzed Cutworm Moth - Nephelodes minians

I may be completely off base here given the sheer breadth and the number of species within the family Noctuidae (Owlet Moths), but from the images I've examined, this insect is the best match. If anyone has a suggestion for what else this Moth could be, I'll gladly consider them and will investigate (keep the range in mind for this individual which was found in Kleinburg, Ontario). In any case, Cutworms in Caterpillar form have earned a notorious reputation for their feeding which has reinforced their name. They tend to come out at night in search of plant-based food, and most notorious of them chew through plants at the lower stem, cutting them down (hence "Cutworm") to eat the leaves. Feeding behavior like this also subsequently destroys the plant, leaving the roots to pick up the pieces. Aside from toppling plants, other evidence may be left behind from Cutworm efforts including circular-shaped damage and frass. These cuttings can be very intense if multiple Caterpillars occupy the same area (which has also given them the name "armyworm") which can be particularly brutal if swarms find their way into crop production. For this specie, the Bronzed Cutworm can have a potential impact on crops as it has been reported to enjoy corn and cereals, but it seems to be handled through careful monitoring.

The Bronzed Cutworm more frequently seems to be associated with the consumption of grasses. As mentioned above, it will eat the blade from the bottom and slowly spread out until the grass in reach has been clipped. For nighttime detections, be wary for a large Caterpillar that appears as either mottled green or dark brown, with stripes parallel to the "spine" running along the body. It has an orange face with a black covering right behind the head. When threatened, it will likely ball up and shield its head, a key behavior in Cutworms. After having its fill, the adult will eventually emerge from a cocoon and resemble the individual seen in these pictures. That being said, this specie's wings have an incredibly variable appearance with several darker patterns displayed. Some many appear more mottled, some yellow, some pink, and others with a bronze sheen to their wings (but not iridescent). This individual's wings are more lighter/sandier by comparison. When examining the wings, look for a darkened "U-shape" section around a wing-spot. Flower nectar will become its preferred source of food now that mandibles have been swapped for a proboscis. While future damage may be a concern, the wilds here have plenty of grass for all (including very hungry Grasshoppers); the Caterpillars can eat their fill, but must be wary of the hunters that lurk in the grass (see this post for more info).

Pictures were taken on September 11, 2021 in Kleinburg with a Google Pixel 4.