Moths of North Carolina
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View PDFNoctuidae Members: Helicoverpa Members: 438 NC Records

Helicoverpa zea (Boddie, 1850) - Corn Earworm Moth

Helicoverpa zeaHelicoverpa zeaHelicoverpa zeaHelicoverpa zea
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Noctuoidea		 Family:
Noctuidae		Subfamily:
Heliothinae		P3 Number:
932045		 MONA Number:
11068.00
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions: Covell (1984; as Heliothis zea); Beadle and Leckie (2012)Online Resources: MPG, BugGuide, iNaturalist, Google, BAMONA, GBIF, BOLD                                                                                 
Adult ID Requirements: Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Helicoverpa zeaAlamance Alexander Alleghany Anson Ashe Avery Beaufort Bertie Bladen Brunswick Buncombe Burke Cabarrus Caldwell Camden Carteret Caswell Catawba Chatham Cherokee Chowan Clay Cleveland Columbus Craven Cumberland Currituck Dare Davidson Davie Duplin Durham Edgecombe Forsyth Franklin Gaston Gates Graham Granville Greene Guilford Halifax Harnett Haywood Henderson Hertford Hoke Hyde Iredell Jackson Johnston Jones Lee Lenoir Lincoln Macon Madison Martin McDowell Mecklenburg Mitchell Montgomery Moore Nash New%20Hanover Northampton Onslow Orange Pamlico Pasquotank Pender Perquimans Person Pitt Polk Randolph Richmond Robeson Rockingham Rowan Rutherford Sampson Scotland Stanly Stokes Surry Swain Transylvania Tyrrell Union Vance Wake Warren Washington Watauga Wayne Wilkes Wilson Yadkin Yancey
Flight Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: adults.
Immature Dates:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge 		Image showing flight dates by month for High Mountains greater than 4,000 feet, Low Mountains, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain: immatures.
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: This species occurs in croplands, wastelands, old fields, and other open, herbaceous habitats.
Larval Host Plants: One of the major crop pests around the world, larvae feed on a very wide range of herbaceous plants, belonging to many families. Wagner et al. (2011) specifically list asparagus (Asparagus officinalis), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), soybean (Glycine max), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), sunflower (Helianthus annuus), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), ground-cherry (Physalis), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and corn (Zea mays). In North Carolina, larvae have been reared from corn. - View
Wikipedia
See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: G5 SNR [S5]
State Protection: Has no legal protection, although permits are required to collect it on state parks and other public lands.
Comments:

 Photo Gallery for Helicoverpa zea - Corn Earworm Moth

 162 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Jim Petranka, Mark Basinger and Becky Elkin on 2025-06-29
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-18
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-06-12
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Dean Furbish and Joy Wiggins on 2025-05-02
Pender Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2025-04-28
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-10-26
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-10-13
Madison Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Jim Petranka and Becky Elkin on 2024-10-13
Madison Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp on 2024-10-03
Johnston Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp on 2024-10-03
Johnston Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-28
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-12
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Jeff Niznik, David George on 2024-09-07
Alamance Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-03
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: David George on 2024-08-31
Chatham Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Simpson Eason on 2024-08-31
Durham Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-08-29
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-22
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Dean Furbish, Lior S. Carlson on 2024-08-14
Pamlico Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Lior S. Carlson, Dean Furbish on 2024-08-13
Pamlico Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-08-10
Carteret Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-09
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-30
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: R. Newman on 2024-07-28
Carteret Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-17
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-07-14
Brunswick Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-06-10
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-06-07
Wake Co.
Comment:
Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Dean Furbish on 2024-05-09
Pender Co.
Comment: 		Helicoverpa zeaRecorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-05-03
Wilson Co.
Comment: