Looper caterpillars (genus Trichoplusia)

[Beverly]

Looper caterpillars are hungry little guys that feed on the leaves of a variety of garden plants, like cabbage (but they don't just eat cabbage), mint, morning glories, bougainvillea, and the list goes on. Good photos are available on the internet. I don't have a photo because i just squished all the ones that i found eating the morning glory leaves. They feed in the mornings and early evenings and are not always so easy to see because the most common species are green to make a perfect match to the green of the underside of leaves and they are also small when damage is first detected. So look very carefully and closely or you are likely to miss them. I have always had good luck in controlling Loopers in the garden, hand squishing the little ones and putting the larger ones in the freezer. However, i have a small garden and not acres of vegetation. Hand squishing or picking them off would not be workable for someone with acres of cabbage (or cabbage family plants) or whatever else.

Here is a photo of the pattern of damage you will see from early stage Looper caterpillars (the photo shows Morning Glory leaves):