Mediterranean
Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
Larvae are a drab brown or olive green color with faint wavy stripes along their sides and can be up to 1S in (34 mm) long at maturity. Pupae are reddish brown and typically less than ½ in (11 mm) long. Adults are dark gray-brown with faint white and brown speckling. They have four large white spots, one on each wing. Adults are typically less than ½ in (11 mm) long and have wingspans just over 1 in (29 mm) wide.
Adults emerge in late spring and lay eggs on the growing tips of field bindweed stems. Larvae feed on field bindweed leaves, developing through five larval instars prior to pupating in the soil or in plant litter. There are usually two generations per year in North America; the second generation of adults emerges in late summer. Both larvae and adults overwinter in plant litter.
Larvae feed on flowers and leaves, sometimes defoliating whole plants, though this has largely been demonstrated only in a laboratory setting.
Andreas, J.E., J. Littlefield, J. Milan, and A. Mendenhall. 2024. Field Bindweed Biocontrol Agents: History and Ecology in North America. In: R.L. Winston, Ed. Biological Control of Weeds in North America. North American Invasive Species Management Association, Milwaukee, WI. NAISMA-BCW-2024-10-FIELD BINDWEED-A. https://bugwoodcloud.org/resource/files/31490.pdf