TOBACCO BUDWORM MOTH
Heliothis virescens
OWLET MOTH FAMILY (Noctuidae)
Description
The Tobacco Budworm Moth has a wingspan of 1.25 inches. The forewing is pale olive green with 3 light tan parallel lines. There can also be a reddish line below the tan line. The PM line ends before it reaches the Costa and doesn’t continue to the apex with a black dash (as does the very similar Heliothis subflexus). The hindwing is cream-colored with a smudgy gray band, although some individuals may have rosy-colored veins and end band. The legs are pink. The larva is extremely variable in coloration. It is often green, but can be yellow, red or other colors. Short, sparse hairs grow out of white or black pimple- like bumps. The mature caterpillar grows to 1.4 inches.
Occurrence
The frequency of occurrence is not known, but it is probably more common in late summer and fall. it has been photographed at Fontenelle Forest in September and October.
Comments
The larvae eat buds, flowers, fruit and seedpods and seem to be able to match the color of the foodplant. Foodplants are tobacco, geraniums, petunias, roses, members of the nightshade family and others. The larva spends the winter in southern states as a pupa. It can’t survive the winter in northern states, so new moths disperse northward each spring.
Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Nature Association who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page
is: Babs Padelford.
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