About the Tobacco Budworm Moth
Chloridea virescens, commonly known as the tobacco budworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae found throughout the eastern and southwestern United States along with parts of Central America and South America. It is a major pest of field crops including tobacco (as its common name suggests) and cotton. It is able to reproduce on a wide variety of host plants ranging from fruits, vegetables, flowers, and weeds. Control of this pest has proven to be particularly difficult due to a variety of factors, but widespread insecticide and pesticide resistance have proven particularly concerning.
Chloridea virescens was formerly a member of the genus Heliothis, but was moved to the reinstated genus Chloridea as a result of genetic and morphological research published in 2013. Adult C. virescens are brownish in color with a light green tinge. The front wings have three dark bands, each associated with a whitish or cream border. Hindwings are whitish with a dark band at the distal margin. Fully grown adults measure between 28 and 35 mm (1.1 to 1.4 inches) in wingspan. Females are generally darker in color than males.
The tobacco budworm goes through 4 life stages... Wikipedia →