Pale Grass Blue vs Large Garden Bumble Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Pale Grass Blue	Large Garden Bumble Bee
Scientific Name	Zizeeria maha	Bombus ruderatus
Order	Lepidoptera	Hymenoptera
Family	Lycaenidae	Apidae
Size	15-25 mm wingspan	14-24 mm
Habitat	Meadows	Farmland
Diet	Nectar Feeders	Nectar Feeders
Regions	East Asia, Japan/Korea	Europe, New Zealand, South America
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Pale Grass Blue

One of the smallest and most common butterflies in Japan, known as 'yamato-shijimi.' Found everywhere from city sidewalks to mountain meadows. Pale blue upperwings with spotted undersides.

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Did You Know?

This butterfly became an unlikely research subject after Fukushima, as scientists documented radiation-induced mutations in populations near the disaster site.

Large Garden Bumble Bee

A long-tongued bumble bee introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s to pollinate red clover. They have one of the longest tongues of any bumble bee species.

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Did You Know?

They were intentionally shipped from England to New Zealand because they were the only bees with tongues long enough to pollinate red clover.