Little late night visitor

Great Black Letter Dart Moth (Xestia dolosa)

10282 Square-spot Dart (Euxoa obelisca), Vranja, Croatia by Terathopius https://flic.kr/p/2iwfuto

Noctuid Moth by Andreas Kay Via Flickr: from Ecuador: www.youtube.com/AndreasKay

So many moths out.  They’re better photography subjects than butterflies.

Fall Armyworm / Spodoptera frugiperda (9666) caterpillar & pupa.

“any idea what kind of guy this is? Found him on my leeks from the farmers market and that seems to be his favorite food. Since this picture he’s gotten much longer and fatter! He’s from the Canadian martimes here on the east coast “

This looks like one of our armyworms (Genus Spodoptera), a group of moths that are found throughout the US and into southern Canada. As caterpillars, they can feed on a wide variety of plants, and some are considered major crop pests (corns, crucifers, cucurbits, legumes, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes, just to name a few). The name “armyworm” comes from the mass numbers of caterpillars that used to “march” out of agricultural fields following their feeding.  I’d hazard a guess that this caterpillar might be a Yellow-striped armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli ), but young instars (molts) are super difficult to ID. If the caterpillar gets any bigger, see if you can get some pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Photograph and submission by: katzjimjam http://katzjimjam.tumblr.com

@waluigidancingqueen submitted: I found this little dude wigglin around in the grass in a park in central Missouri, any idea what kinda caterpillar it is? Also, what are the little white eggy things on its back?

It's a cutworm in Noctuinae, I think maybe a white-speck moth, Mythimna unipuncta. It's possible the white bits are parasitoid wasp eggs or cocoons. I've seen them on cutworms before but I've never gotten confirmation!

A humble armyworm moth.

Spodoptera species

28/05/22

モンヤガ亜科？　Noctuinae ？　１０月２４日、名古屋市

Rosy Rustic (Hydraecia micacea)

Ryan Hodnett | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Originals on Wikimedia Commons [1][2]

Cutworms and Dart Moths. The Noctuinae are a subfamily of the family Noctuidae. The larvae of many species feed on roots or stems of various grasses. Some are generalist feeders which makes them potential pests. (at Arlington, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0IrnzpcHMZdy0Hfc5rw2JzxRY4qrXZnaGhe80/?utm_medium=tumblr

73.351 Double Dart (Graphiphora augur), Cullaloe SWT, Fife by Terathopius https://flic.kr/p/2hXsmnf

120221 南投 塔塔加 Nacna malachitis (Oberthur, 1880) Female by Shipher (士緯) Wu (吳) Via Flickr: Tatajia (2560), Nantou County, Taiwan Nacna malachitis (Oberthur, 1880) Subfamily Noctuinae 夜蛾亞科 Family Noctuidae 夜蛾科

Noctuid Moth (Phlogophora sp., Noctuinae, Noctuidae) by Sinobug (itchydogimages) on Flickr. Pu'er, Yunnan, China See more Chinese moths on my Flickr site HERE.....

Only interesting Lep on the sheet tonight, Pseudeustrotia carneola / Pink-barred Pseudeustrotia (9053). Not a stellar year for moth cataloging so far, maybe its time to replace the merc vapor bulb?