Canna Leafroller
Calpodes ethlius
The caterpillar of the Brazilian skipper, the most destructive pest of canna in the warm South, which folds and ties the leaves with silk and feeds inside the roll. Heavy feeding shreds the foliage and ruins the appearance of a canna bed.
🔎 How to spot it
The caterpillars are relatively large, up to about two inches long, pale green and somewhat translucent, with dark orange heads and short, distinct necks. The adult is a brownish skipper that darts quickly from flower to flower during summer. Leaves folded over and tied with silk, with ragged chewed areas, are the giveaway.
🥀 Damage it causes
The larvae fold a piece of the leaf edge over and tie it with silk, then chew large, ragged chunks from the rest of the leaf while sheltered inside the roll. In numbers they can badly tatter and skeletonize the foliage of a canna planting. The damage is mostly to appearance, but a heavy infestation defoliates and weakens the plants.
🛡️ Prevent it
Scout for the folded, silk-tied leaves and remove and destroy them with the caterpillar inside while infestations are small. The pest cannot survive cold winters much north of the Deep South, so northern plantings see it only when it moves in during the season. Cleaning up infested foliage promptly limits the buildup.
🧯 If it is already here
Spraying Bacillus thuringiensis or another contact insecticide such as spinosad into the rolled portions of the leaves gives good control when applied where the caterpillars feed. The caterpillars can also be squashed within their rolls or simply removed by hand. Targeting the spray into the rolls matters because the larvae are sheltered.
💡 Good to know
There are at least two generations a year in the warmer South, and the caterpillar also feeds on related plants such as arrowroot and alligator flag. The pale green, orange-headed caterpillar inside a tied leaf is unmistakable on canna. Because it overwinters only in the warmest areas, it is a recurring summer invader farther north.
For educational and informational purposes only. Pest control advice is general guidance drawn from university cooperative extension sources; always identify a pest positively and read and follow the label on any product before use, especially around food crops, children, and pets.