Red-backed Cutworm Moth

Euxoa ochrogaster · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae

Also called: Redbacked Cutworm

Damages trees, gardens or crops. The red-backed cutworm larvae can damage sunflower crops.

Red-backed Cutworm Moth — Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

The red-backed cutworm is a moth in the Noctuidae family. It lives across northern Europe, the Baltic region, the Amur area, and throughout much of North America from Alaska to the northeastern United States and down the Rockies to Arizona and New Mexico. Adults fly from late July through early September.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Euxoa ochrogaster, called the red-backed cutworm, belongs to the Noctuidae family.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Adult moths are on the wing from the end of July to the beginning of September.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults appear in late summer, roughly late July through early September.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Its range includes northern Europe, the Baltic, the Amur region, and much of North America from Alaska to the northeastern United States and down the Rockies to Arizona and New Mexico.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 19 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alaska, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Michigan, Colorado, Washington, Wyoming.

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Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Red-backed Cutworm Moth photo 2 — Photo: Jason Grant, CC BY

Red-backed Cutworm Moth photo 3 — Photo: Jason Grant, CC BY

Red-backed Cutworm Moth photo 4 — Photo: Catherine C. Galley, CC BY

Red-backed Cutworm Moth photo 5 — Photo: Jason Grant, CC BY

Questions people ask

When are adult red-backed cutworms active?

Adults are active from the end of July until the beginning of September.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is the red-backed cutworm found?

It occurs across northern Europe, the Baltic, the Amur region, and most of North America from Alaska to the northeastern United States and down the Rockies to Arizona and New Mexico.

Source: Wikipedia