Turnip Moth vs Blue Pansy

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Turnip Moth Blue Pansy
Scientific Name Agrotis segetum Junonia orithya
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Noctuidae Nymphalidae
Size 35-45 mm wingspan 40-60 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Heathland
Diet Root Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, Africa, Asia Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos)
Conservation Not Evaluated Least Concern

Turnip Moth

A drab brown moth whose fat cutworm larvae sever the stems and roots of root vegetables and seedlings. It is one of the most widespread cutworm pests in the Old World.

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Did You Know?

Larvae can survive extended periods of drought by burrowing deep into the soil and entering a dormant state.

Blue Pansy

A medium-sized butterfly with stunning bright blue hindwings bearing large eyespots and brown forewings with smaller orange-ringed ocelli. Males are more intensely blue than females.

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Did You Know?

The large eyespots on the hindwings are thought to deflect bird attacks toward the wing edge rather than the vulnerable body.