Spruce Budworm vs African Grass Blue

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Spruce Budworm African Grass Blue
Scientific Name Choristoneura fumiferana Zizeeria knysna
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Tortricidae Lycaenidae
Size 20-28 mm wingspan 16-22 mm wingspan
Habitat Forests Parks
Diet Omnivores Nectar Feeders
Regions North America Africa, Southern Europe, South Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Spruce Budworm

A small mottled grey-brown moth that is the most destructive forest pest in North America. Outbreaks can kill millions of hectares of spruce and fir forest.

💡

Did You Know?

A single outbreak in the 1970s-80s damaged more timber than all forest fires in Canada combined.

African Grass Blue

Tiny blue butterfly with spotted gray-brown undersides. One of the smallest butterflies in Africa.

💡

Did You Know?

With a wingspan under two centimetres, it is among the tiniest butterflies in the world.