Cutworm damage: signs and confirmation

Nothing is more frustrating than finding a vegetable or flower transplant toppled over at the soil line after a night of good growing weather. The stem is cleanly cut, the plant is lying there perfectly intact, and the culprit is gone. This is classic cutworm damage -- and the confirmation is in.

Nothing is more frustrating than finding a vegetable or flower transplant toppled over at the soil line after a night of good growing weather. The stem is cleanly cut, the plant is lying there perfectly intact, and the culprit is gone. This is classic cutworm damage — and the confirmation is in the soil 1–2 inches below.

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What are cutworms?

Cutworms are the larvae of several moth species in the family Noctuidae. The most damaging in gardens include the black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon), variegated cutworm (Peridroma saucia), dingy cutworm (Feltia jaculifera), and bronzed cutworm (Nephelodes minians). Per Penn State Extension, the damage pattern across species is similar enough that species-level ID is not required for management.