Last fall I received numerous questions about the little brown moths that were so abundant in soybeans and corn during late September and most of October. Most people thought they were European corn borers, which had a third flight during mid-September. However, the smaller size and slightly different wing pattern suggested that they were a different species. The moth was identified as Udea ribigalis, the celery leaftier, by Richard Heitzman, an expert on Midwestern butterflies and moths.

Larvae of the celery leaftier attack many species of cultivated flowers, weeds, and vegetables including beets, spinach, beans, and celery. This insect is not a pest of soybeans or corn.