WHEAT HEAD ARMYWORM
Dargida diffusa
OWLET MOTHS (Noctuidae)
The Wheat Head Armyworm caterpillar grows to about 1.5 inches. It is variably colored green, yellow, pink to brown. Many individuals have a burnt-orange subdorsal stripe edged with white. The body tapers rearward. The adult moth is straw-colored and has a total length of about 1.75 inches. The forewing has a white streak that extends the length of the wing that contrasts with a black basal dash. The slanting black apical dash curves toward the black apical dot.
The Wheat Head Armyworm is probably common at Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods as it is considered to be generally common in its range that covers all of North America except Alaska, Yukon and the southeastern states. Adults fly from March to October. The species overwinters as a pupa in an underground cell.
The larvae feed on the seedheads of various grasses and cereal crops. It may be considered to be a pest of corn and wheat. There are 8 species in the genus Dargida in North America.
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