They feed on beans, corn, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, and certain flowers, as well as cotton and tobacco. The eggs are laid on corn silks. The larvae first feed on the silks and leaves, and eventually make their way into the kernels at the tip of the cob. While they feed they produce copious amounts of frass, which is a sign of infestation. Once mature, the larvae drop from the plant and pupate in the soil.
Cutworms are inactive during the day, hiding under clods of soil.
The larvae are dark gray, brown or black and may be up to two inches long. They tend to curl up tightly when disturbed. The caterpillars cut off new seedlings or early season plants above, at or below the soil surface. When their wings are folded together over their back, it forms a white diamond-shaped marking on the top. The larvae are slender and light-green with black hairs or spines.