The following pests, however, are most likely to be encountered in North Carolina though perhaps not in every field every year. Heavily infested plants may be skeletonized. Young larvae often web leaves together. The worms sometimes appear in large numbers in August and September. When fully grown, this larva is green, reddish, or brown with pale longitudinal stripes and scattered, black spots.
Early instars are fuzzy, cream colored or yellowish green with few markings.
Earworms feed on leaves, stems, and occasionally pegs. They have five pairs of prolegs. Black cutworm - Varying from light gray to black in color and often appearing greasy, this caterpillar grows from 3.5 to 46 mm in length. Granulate cutworm - Growing from 2 to 38 mm long, this caterpillar has a pale brown head, a dark brown band down its back, and brown sides with faint stripes. This pale green to black caterpillar has a light stripe along both sides of its body.