Tree Leaves

• Inchworms are well known for eating the leaves of shrubs and trees. They leave behind characteristic holes in the leaves and are not particularly fussy about what foliage they eat. Favorite tree species in the inchworm diet include oak, elm, lindens and sweet gums.
  
  

Vegetables

• The main cause of the inchworm's reputation as a pest is its voracious appetite for vegetables. These insects will feed on the leaves of celery, cabbage, cauliflower, radishes, Brussels sprouts, beans, parsley, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes and peas.
  
  

Fruit

• Inchworms enjoy the leaves from fruit-bearing trees and will also eat the leaves of the fruit itself. They will feed on the fruit leaves of apple, crab apple, maple and mulberry trees. Their appetite for farmed fruit such as apples makes them a targeted pest in orchards and farms.
  
  

Diet Variations

• Different species of inchworm have different food preferences. Regarded as one of the most destructive types of inchworm, canker worms prefer to feed from shrub and tree foliage, whereas the cabbage looper generally prefers vegetable crops. The moths will lay their eggs on the leaves and the larvae will devour the leaf it finds itself on.