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Woollybear Caterpillar

Encyclopedia Article

The woolly bear is a common and well-known caterpillar. Though most people have one kind of woolly bear in mind, there are 8 or more species in the U.S. that could legitimately be called woolly bears because of the dense, bristly hair that covers their bodies. Woolly bears are the caterpillar stage of medium sized moths known as tiger moths.

Yellownecked Caterpillar

Encyclopedia Article

Small larvae are purplish with slender white stripes.  They grow to 2 inches in length and turn black with white stripes.  They have a more-or-less prominent orange-yellow mark behind their head for which the species is named.

Zimmerman Pine Moth

Encyclopedia Article

Zimmerman pine moth has long been a pest of pines in the Midwest but has become increasingly noticeable in the past few years. The larva of this moth species is a borer that attacks pine tree trunks and lateral branches. Trees rarely are killed by this insect but they are disfigured as branches die. Borer damage can weaken trees and cause trunks or branches to break off during heavy ice, snow or wind.

Tomato Hornworm

Encyclopedia Article
A hornworm on a tomato plant

The tomato hornworm is one of our best known garden pests. It’s almost as big around as your thumb and can be 4 to 5 inches long. It’s bright green and has a hornlike hook at one end that can be either red or green depending on which of the two species you have on your plant. After feeding, hornworms move to the soil where they pupate and spend the winter. The following summer the pupae transform into five-spotted hawk moths and start the cycle over.

Tomato fruitworm

Encyclopedia Article

This insect is the same species as the corn earworm, but found on a different crop.  Damage to ripening fruit of tomato, eggplant, peppers and okra by this insect ruins the fruit. Fortunately, damage is spotty and rare in Iowa.

Peachtree Borer and Lesser Peachtree Borer

Encyclopedia Article

Peachtree borer and lesser peachtree borer are caterpillars of clearwing moths (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae). Caterpillars are white to cream colored, wrinkled and have a brown head.

Leaf Crumpler

Encyclopedia Article
Image of leaf crumpler damage

The leaf crumpler is an occasional caterpillar pest in ornamental nurseries and landscapes. It is most commonly found on Cotoneaster but may occur on crab apples and other plants. The larvae consume the leaves during the late summer and again the following spring. As they feed they construct a protective habitat made of dead leaf fragments, silk webbing and frass pellets. The disagreeable appearance of the webs is often more significant than the leaf consumption.

Indianmeal Moth

Encyclopedia Article
Image of Indianmeal moth caterpillars in birdseed

The Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella, is a very common insect pest in Iowa found in stored food products within the home and in stored grain on farms and at elevators. In the home, Indian meal moth larvae (or caterpillars) feed on any grain or grain product (flour, cornmeal, oatmeal, grits, etc.), seeds (including bird seed and dried beans), nuts, chocolate, dried fruit (such as raisins), and so forth. These larvae often leave their food supply when they are ready to spin their cocoons and they may wander about in search of a suitable place to pupate. They are frequently found in unsuspected places because of this wandering behavior.

Hummingbird Moths

Encyclopedia Article
Image of a tobacco hornworm moth on a petunia flower

There is so much to enjoy in late summer. One of my favorites is the large dark moths that look and act like hummingbirds, feeding on nectar from flowers around dusk. Favorite flowers include deep-throated blossoms such as petunias and hosta blooms.

The moths in question are large and about the size of a hummingbird. There the physical resemblance ends. However, it is remarkable how much the moths behave like hummingbirds. They hover in mid-air and flit from one flower to the next. If you don’t look closely at the dark color and the antennae at the front of the head, you can be easily fooled into believing these really are hummingbirds!

Hornworms

Encyclopedia Article

The short, slender horn on the tip of the abdomen is red on the tobacco hornworm and green on the tomato hornworm.  Both species have diagonal white stripes along the sides of the body.

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