Ottawa (Dunrobin), ON Canada

15 August 2005   7:14PM EST  (top left)
10 August 2005   8:13PM EST  (top right)
17 August 2005   8:17PM EST  (center)
31 May 2004   10:16PM EST  (bottom left)
29 August 2005   7:46PM EST  (bottom center)
12 August 2005   10:50PM EST  (bottom right)

Mythimna unipuncta, formerly named Pseudaletia unipuncta, has a predominantly tan forewing lightly speckled with black, with some specimens appearing quite pale while others may appear medium brown in color.  There may be a hint of orange shading in the upper half of the wing. The orbicular and reniform spots are not sharply defined, but appear as orange spots; there is usually a dark brown spot in the center of the orbicular spot.  There is little trace of an antemedial line, but the postmedial line is faintly evident as a smoothly curved row of dark dots.  A dark shade line angles from the apex to the outermost part of the curve of the pm line.  A fine white line marks the Cu vein below the orbicular spot and terminates with a sharp white dot contrasting with darker shading where the Cu vein branches near the lower end of the reniform spot.  Sometimes other veins are also faintly marked in white, especially in the outer third of the wing. The hindwing is gray-brown with a pale tan fringe.  Covell (1984) indicates a wingspan from 3.5 to 4.7 cm for this species. 

According to Handfield (1999), the larvae of Mythimna unipuncta, also known as Armyworm, feed on a wide variety of plants, from fruit trees to grain crops, wild plants, garden vegetables, shrubs, etc. Covell (1984) comments that armyworms are named for their feeding habits, being prone to feed in large groups in one location, then move on to a new location when the food supply at the first place has been exhausted. For my general area, Handfield indicates three generations per year, of which the first consists of migrating adults, with adult flight seasons from late May to mid-July, from about mid-July to mid-September, and from late September nearly to mid-October.

My records to date for Mythimna unipuncta (each date representing "the night of") are in the table below: