Ipsilon Dart
(Agrotis ipsilon - 10663)
This moth -- like many, actually, -- is not a friend of gardeners. Dart moths are also known as cutworm moths. Likewise, the Ipsilon Dart's larva is also known as a Black or Greasy Cutworm.
Range: Throughout most of North America except the Arctic.
Habitat: Croplands, fields, gardens.
Food: Larvae feed on many cultivated plants (e.g. clover, corn, lettuce, potatoes, tobacco) plus grasses.
This is a female based upon her simple antennae. She is feeding on moth bait.
(Agrotis ipsilon - 10663)
This moth -- like many, actually, -- is not a friend of gardeners. Dart moths are also known as cutworm moths. Likewise, the Ipsilon Dart's larva is also known as a Black or Greasy Cutworm.
Range: Throughout most of North America except the Arctic.
Habitat: Croplands, fields, gardens.
Food: Larvae feed on many cultivated plants (e.g. clover, corn, lettuce, potatoes, tobacco) plus grasses.
This is a female based upon her simple antennae. She is feeding on moth bait.
Links:
BugGuide
Moth Photographers Group
University of Florida Featured Creature
.
3 comments:
Luckily I have not been blessed with this moth. I will be on the look out for it though.
Great information with a bit of evil forshadowing. "feeding on moth bait." I suspect there will be a few less Ipsilon Darts in your neck of the woods.
nellie
We try to protect our seedlings against cutworms with collars around the plants, but there are 400+ different species of cutworm moths in North America. I don't hold the moths responsible for the sins of their offspring. The moth bait is mostly brown sugar with enough beer to liquify it, plus a little molasses and an overripe banana. It is meant to mimic tree sap, which is a food source for many moths. I use the bait to attract moths so I can photograph them. Some moth species are more prone to come to the bait than they are to be attracted by lights, though the Ipsilon Dart is also very common under the lights.
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