The army cutworm is the brownish green larvae of the miller moth. With only one generation per year, the egg hatches in the fall and spends the winter as a partially grown caterpillar feeding during warmer winter days on a wide range of plants. This is a climbing cutworm that feeds above ground during the night and on cloudy days. After larval development is complete, it pupates in the soil. Moths emerge in May or June and migrate to the mountains to escape the summer heat.
Moths return to the valleys in late summer and early fall to lay eggs in crop fields.
The National Wildlife Refuge System celebrated its 97th birthday on March 14. It all began in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt established Pelican Island, a small 5-acre island as a bird sanctuary located in Florida's Indian River. Almost a century later, the Refuge System has grown to more than 93 million acres of land and water. Today the Refuge network includes more than 520 refuges and 3,000 waterfowl production areas spread across every state and several U.S. Territories. Through the years, refuges have been established for migratory birds, fish and big game animals.