Active at night and on overcast days, armyworms get their name from their habit of marching in troops, devouring vegetation in their path. Several species of these hairless caterpillars cause headaches for gardeners; all are 1 to 2 inches long and fond of leafy vegetables. Beet armyworms, varying from green to black, sport a stripe down each side and a small black spot above the stripe at the middle pair of true legs. Yellow-striped armyworms are purplish to black, with two yellow stripes running along their backs. Brown shiny fall armyworms have prominent black spots and a white ‘”Y”‘ on a black head (Armyworms are also known as climbing cutworms).
Armyworms
