Date: 5/10/26 6:52 am From: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...> Subject: Re: Caterpillar invasion
Thanks all, leaning toward the White-lined Sphinx.
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From: Tom Marsan-Ryan <tpmarsan...>
Sent: Saturday, May 9, 2026 7:23 PM
To: Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...>
Cc: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Caterpillar invasion
I’m going to be honest, I have no experience in this sort of ID but with the help of a bit of research and running my thoughts by AI, I came up with this hypothesis:
Yellow-striped Armyworm (Spodoptera ornithogalli).
Once you know it, all the features line up:
• Black body with bold yellow lateral stripes
• Golden/amber head
• Caudal protrusion (not a true horn, but a raised bump near the rear)
• Ground-level wandering — armyworms do exactly this when they’re mature and looking to pupate
• Very common in Arkansas
It’s a moth in family Noctuidae, and a well-known agricultural pest — feeds on a huge range of plants including grasses, corn, soybeans, and many garden crops.
Bird value is still high — Noctuid caterpillars are eaten readily by most of the same birds, and because they can appear in large numbers (“armies”), they’re a reliable food pulse for ground-foraging birds like:
• Meadowlarks
• Thrushes
• Brown Thrashers
Happy to be proven wrong by someone who knows better, but I enjoyed the mystery!
- Tom
- Tom Marsan-Ryan
Pronouns: he/him/his
860-869-2096
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On Sat, May 9, 2026 at 7:34 PM Brian Carlson <brianrcarlson...><mailto:<brianrcarlson...>> wrote:
Do any of you know what kind of caterpillar this is (what kind of moth or butterfly will it become)?
Are they good food for birds (not toxic)? Thanks, Brian
