Soap and Water. The sunflower moth is shiny and gray in appearance, it deposits its eggs on the heads of sunflowers and the larvae feed on the pollen and ultimately leads to empty seeds being produced by the plant. 1. The major culprits are sunflower beetles, cutworms, bud moths, maggots, thistle caterpillars and midges. Larva: Brown head capsule with alternate dark and light lines running longitudinally, 0.75 inch in length. Dahlias , azaleas, daisies, Liatris, and asters are just a few of the flowering plants these bugs commonly feast upon. View photos of the sunflower moth and its larva in the Photo Gallery. The result is a plant mottled with brown or black spots and deformed growth. Pink‑ to reddish‑brown caterpillars feeding on heads to early October. A dragon that like someone pie. Each hind wing has a row of four distinct and obscure eyespots. Sunflower moth infestations can be very severe and lead to significant losses in … Thistle Caterpillar (Painted Lady) Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus) Description: The body of the adult is about 1 inch long with a wingspan of about 2 inches. https://gardenersyards.com/whats-eating-my-sunflower-leaves I thought they might become butterflies, so I didn't do anything. Eggs are small, spherical and white. Voracious Small black caterpillars. Various species of butterflies and moths use sunflowers as a host or food plant where they lay their eggs on the underside of leaves and consume the plant’s nectar. Gardeners should be on the lookout for tarnished plant bugs and four-lined plant bugs, growing up to a 1/4 inch long. Banded sunflower moth; Small grey or reddish‑brown weevils on heads. The eggs give way to caterpillars, the larval stage of moths and butterflies. Completely dissolve a small amount of organic liquid soap … Cream‑colored caterpillars found feeding in receptacle area in July or August. Sunflower bud moth; Yellowish moths with brownish‑black band on front wings. Color is buff to gray. The smallest black spots are their frass (poop). I live in northwest Georgia and have beautiful gardens. Several mid-west universities, such as Kansa State University of Agriculture have extensive material online with photos of the insects that enjoy sunflowers. Sunflower : Black Eyed Susan. Image: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org designed to help you identify the common caterpillars collected on sunflower. Also, to make the factsheet easier to use, some of the less common soil-inhabiting cut-worms are omitted. Many caterpillars are preyed upon by birds, ground Beetles, spiders, small wasps and a host of other predators and this is the best way to control them. Caterpillars on Sunflowers. If you think you have a tomato hornworm or caterpillar problem, follow these natural solutions to getting rid of the cute critters. However, today, there are MILLIONS of them eating ALL my plants ! On sunflowers, we just let them be because they might damage the leaves but the flowers are unaffected and the … The upper wing surfaces are brown with red and orange mottling and white and black spots. The identifying characters used are found on full-grown or nearly full-grown caterpillars and may not occur on newly hatched or young caterpillars. The adult moth is 0.38 inch long, with 0.75 inch wingspread. Asked June 10, 2015, 7:32 PM EDT. It has a small white horizontal stripe with a black one on top of it. on June 01, 2019: I live near austin Texas, and found a small green caterpillar about 1.5-2 centimeters long and super thin. Adult sunflower moth The moth can be very damaging. Know which harmful insects dine on sunflowers. We have a black caterpillar with 3 yellowish stripes. Two days ago, small black caterpillars started eating a couple of plants. An easy remedy to a little green caterpillar problem is soap and water.