Photo by Public domain (iNaturalist) on iNaturalist · CC0 (public domain) · specimen identified as Agrotis ipsilon
PestActive Apr–Jun
Cutworms
Noctuidae
- When
- Apr–Jun — April, May, June. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where to look
- Just under the soil surface beside a transplant; feeding at night.
- How to know it
- Fat grey-brown caterpillars that curl into a tight C when you dig them up. A seedling severed cleanly at ground level is the sign.
- What it does — and what to do
- A cardboard collar pushed 2 cm into the soil around each transplant ends the problem for the season.
Found in these regions
- Boreal North & Taiga
- Boreal Forest & Shield
- Acadian Forest & Atlantic Coast
- Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Northeast Atlantic Coast & Piedmont
- Appalachian Highlands
- Central Hardwoods & Interior Plateaus
- Southeastern Piedmont & Coastal Plain
- Gulf Coast & Mississippi Lowlands
- Florida Peninsula
- Prairies & Great Plains
- Western Mountains & Interior Plateaus
- Pacific Maritime
- Mediterranean California
- Deserts & Dry Basins
- Hawaiʻi & the Tropics
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Also active in September
PollinatorMay–OctMonarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
Orange with heavy black veins and a white-spotted black border. The caterpillar is banded yellow, white and black.
What it does in the garden →Photo: Christine Young · CC BY 4.0
PollinatorMay–SepRuby-throated hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Tiny, iridescent green above; the male has a black-looking throat that flares ruby in the right light.
What it does in the garden →
BeneficialJul–OctPraying mantis
Mantidae
Long green or brown body, triangular head that swivels, and folded raptorial front legs.
What it does in the garden →