Appearance

The adult cabbage looper moth wingspan is about 1 ½ inches long with gray-brown wings with a silver or white spot that looks like a “V”, figure “8” or a “Y” on the front wings. The larva is green and has characteristic white lines on its top and sides. As the name looper suggests, the larva moves by using a looping motion of arching its back and then straightening out its body. The pupal stage is found on the bottom of the host plants’ leaves or in the soil and plant debris. Cabbage loopers are serious agricultural pests, but the homeowner may also experience problems with this insect feeding on their garden plants.

Behavior & Diet

Cabbage loopers overwinter in the pupal stage and the adult moth emerges in the spring. Adult moths are usually active at dusk or after dark. The larvae feed on their host plants for three to four weeks, and mature adult female moths will lay up to several hundred eggs on the surface of the host plant’s leaves. Their common host plants are cabbage, collards, turnips and broccoli, but they will also feed on numerous commercial and home garden plants like lettuce, celery, beets, spinach, tomatoes or potatoes. Cabbage looper damage is recognized by the early larval stage damage to the lower surface of the leaf, while the later larval stages eat holes in the leaves. Larval feeding is also recognized by a collection of moist, sticky fecal material the larvae deposit while feeding.