The alfalfa looper is a highly polyphagous pest of numerous crops. However, there is little information on how well larvae develop on different plant species. Larvae were reared from egg hatch to adult on cut plant material, and successful development, development time, and pupal weights were determined. Larvae performed better on herbaceous compared to woody plants, on cultivated plants compared to wild plants, and on vegetable cultivars compared to inedible cultivars. Best host plants were within several plant families, and development on legumes generally was poor.