BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2022
Commonly called winter cutworms, caterpillars in the larval stage of the yellow underwing moth have been in Maine since the 1970s. They are able to withstand cold temperatures and spend their winters feeding on grasses, roots and other herbaceous plants. They are a gregarious traveling and feeding in groups. Which helps to explain why people were reporting seeing scores of them on the snow this past weekend. So far, there is no indication gardeners or growers here have anything to worry about.