The tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Brazil and the Antilles. The wingspan is 28–35 mm. The braconid wasp Microplitis croceipes, which deposits its eggs inside a living caterpillar, is an important parasitoid of both H. virescens and the related species Helicoverpa zea.