Window Pane Leaves in Soybeans


We found this odd looking plant, a few steps in from the headland, in a soybean field near Angusville in early August. The leaves near the top of the plant had a strange window pane appearance, and the leaf was still intact but we could almost see through large translucent areas. We flipped the leaf over and were able to see a small yellow green worm attached. Thanks to provincial entomologist John Gavloski for providing an identification based on the photos. He suggested it could be an early instar of the yellow bear caterpillar but being it was so young it was tough to know for certain. Adults are called Virginian tiger moths. The young larvae will cause skeletonizing on a large number of hosts including soybeans but usually at low levels and near the field edge.