Green cloverworm

Appearance and Life History. Green cloverworm is one of many soybean defoliators in the Midwest. This caterpillar is often mistakenly called a looper, but differs in that it has four abdominal prolegs in contrast to three for loopers.
Green cloverworm is a sporadic foliage-feeding pest of soybean in the Midwest. Two or more generations may occur each year, and potentially destructive green cloverworm larvae may be found in soybean fields from late June through September. Newly emerged larvae are pale yellow and eventually turn light green in color. They have a narrow white stripe on each side of their body and four pairs of prolegs. A unique larval characteristic is their brief jumping and flopping activity that occurs when disturbed.