Studies were conducted to identify the common phytophagous insects that feed on Typha spp. (cattails) in Minnesota and to quantify the extent of insect herbivory in natural stands. Six lcpidoptcrans and two aphids wcre noted to feed on Typha shoots. The most common herbivorous inscct in natural stands was the miner-borer Archanara oblonga Grt. (Lepidoptcra: Noctuidae). The noctuid Bellura obliqua Walk. was the most common miner-borer in newly planted cultivated stands. Nineteen Typha stands were sampled in midsummer to quantify the extent of inscct herbivory. Overall, about 15 percent of shoots showed some evidence of insect herbivory. Eight percent of damaged shoots had damage to upper leaves attributable to lepidopteran miner-borers (chiefly A . oblonga). Five percent of shoots had stem damage. Less than one percent of shoots wcre damaged by Icaf-chewing insects. Typha latifolia stands were more heavily infested than those of T . angustifolia or T. glauca. Stands located in southern Minnesota were much more heavily infested than those in northeastern Minnesota. Water depth and shoot nitrogen content did not have a significant effect on infestation rate. The majority of infested shoots suffered minor damage (i.e., 120Y0 reduction in leaf area). Much of the damage caused by lepidopteran miner-borers was indirect. Although natural Typha stands and small cultivated plots are occasionally susceptible to heavy infestations of phytophagous insects, it seems unlikely that insect pests would hamper Typha bio-energy production in Minnesota.