Northern Clouded Yellow vs African Mud Dauber

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Northern Clouded Yellow African Mud Dauber
Scientific Name Colias hecla Sceliphron spirifex
Order Lepidoptera Hymenoptera
Family Pieridae Sphecidae
Size 38-50 mm wingspan 20-28 mm
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Underground
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Arctic Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern Scandinavia, Siberia Throughout Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Northern Clouded Yellow

A bright orange-yellow butterfly with broad dark borders on the upperwings. The underside is greenish-yellow with a prominent silver discal spot. It is a strong, fast flier over tundra terrain.

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Did You Know?

This butterfly was first described from specimens collected in Greenland by early polar explorers.

African Mud Dauber

A slender black and yellow wasp with an extremely narrow petiole waist. It constructs mud nests on walls and ceilings, provisioning them with paralyzed spiders.

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Did You Know?

A single mud nest cell may contain up to 25 paralyzed spiders stacked together as food for one developing larva.