Caterpillar damage - Ask Extension
Please identify this plant and this caterpillar. Height of the plant stems varies from 18" to 30". Damage was first noticed beginning about 2 weeks...
Knowledgebase
Caterpillar damage #365289
Asked September 24, 2016, 9:02 AM EDT
Please identify this plant and this caterpillar. Height of the plant stems varies from 18" to 30".
Damage was first noticed beginning about 2 weeks ago.
I took these pictures on 9/21/16. Since then the defoliation has continued and is now at 70-80% loss.
I have inspected other plants around, and see no evidence of this caterpillar elsewhere, so it would appear to be specific to this plant.
Obviously at this time of year, i'm not really looking to protect this plant, which is going to seed, and will soon be cut back, but i am very interested to learn what we're dealing with here.
Damage was first noticed beginning about 2 weeks ago.
I took these pictures on 9/21/16. Since then the defoliation has continued and is now at 70-80% loss.
I have inspected other plants around, and see no evidence of this caterpillar elsewhere, so it would appear to be specific to this plant.
Obviously at this time of year, i'm not really looking to protect this plant, which is going to seed, and will soon be cut back, but i am very interested to learn what we're dealing with here.
Wayne County Pennsylvania
Expert Response
While there is a caterpillar that turns in to a beautiful pink and cream-colored moth called an evening primrose moth, the number of legs (prolegs) that your photo seems to show suggests these may be the larvae of a type of sawfly.
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