Lucerne Moth – Nomophila nearctica
Hodges#5156 Commonly known as Clover Nomophila or celery webworm moth.
Larva commonly called false webworm. Live adult moth photographed at northern Illinois.
The celery webworm is a pest on celery and alfalfa, among other vegetable and fodder crops [4].
Family Pyralidae – There are five subfamilies and at least 6,150 species worldwide. North America has approximately 565 species.
The Pyralids are agricultural pests; some are leaf tiers or leaf rollers; the majority are borers in stems, seeds, buds, or flowers. Some are wood borers in the cambium layer, others feed on combs in bee hives or on dried plant materials. Many economically important species: Indian meal moth, Clover hay-worm, Zimmerman pine moth, Sunflower head moth.
Many times I see an insect species only once or twice. Sometimes I only get one or two good shots. This moth is one of those times. In my defense, if I tried to photograph every moth I see out in the field, I’d never get anything else done!
Reference: Bugguide.net Lucerne Moth – Nomophila nearctica
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