Page 629 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

MOTH CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Noctuidae
DISTRIBUTION Canada and United States, Europe, North Africa, and western
Asia into northern India
HABITAT Grasslands, verges, parks, and gardens
HOST PLANTS Wide variety of herbaceous plants and crops, including
strawberry (Fragaria spp.), freesia (Freesia spp.), allium spp.,
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and potato (Solanum spp.)
NOTE Caterpillar that is widely resented as a garden pest
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common

ADULT WINGSPAN
2–2⅜ in (50–60 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
NOCTUA PRONUBA 1 ⁄ –1 ⁄ in (30–40 mm)
LARGE YELLOW
UNDERWING 627

(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Female Large Yellow Underwing moths lay large clusters of up
to 1,000 eggs, on the underside of host plant leaves. The eggs

are slow to hatch, taking up to ve weeks. The young larvae
overwinter and feed on milder winter days but become fully
active in the spring. The caterpillar, also known as a cutworm,
is a notorious garden pest. It emerges at night to feed on low-
growing plants, severing the shoots at ground level. By day,
it seeks shelter in clumps of plants where it may continue to feed
and curls up into the typical cutworm C shape when disturbed.

The larvae complete their growth and pupate in a small chamber
underground. The adult moths eclose from the chestnut-brown
pupae and are on the wing during summer to early fall. They
are strong iers and, being migratory, can travel long distances.

Accidentally introduced into Canada in 1979, the species has
now spread west across North America.

The Large Yellow Underwing caterpillar is
brown or olive green. Each segment bears a
dorsal, black-and-cream dash, either side of
a dark-brown, median line. The head is brown Actual size
with two thick, black lines.