← Pests

Pine Butterfly

53 host plants

You will see caterpillars with distinctive markings feeding on pine needles, creating defoliation on branch tips. Adult butterflies with patterned wings appear in early summer. Larvae feed openly on foliage. Multiple generations may occur. Pine butterfly damage varies from cosmetic to severe depending on infestation intensity. Young pines and stressed trees experience the most noticeable impact.

Monitor young trees for caterpillar presence in spring and early summer. Hand-remove larvae when populations are light. Prune heavily defoliated branches to improve appearance. Encourage parasitic wasps and predatory insects. Time sprays for early summer when larvae are young. Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides. Most established pines tolerate defoliation. Maintain vigor through proper irrigation.

Host Plants (53)

Agathis australis Kauri Tāne Mahuta, Kauri Pine
Araucaria araucana Monkey Puzzle Tree, Chilean Pine
Araucaria bidwillii Bunya Pine
Araucaria cunninghamii Hoop Pine, Moreton Bay Pine
Araucaria heterophylla Norfolk Island Pine
Athrotaxis laxifolia Tasmanian Pencil Pine, Summit Cedar
Cephalotaxus harringtonia Japanese Plum Yew, Cow's Tail Pine
Glyptostrobus pensilis Chinese Swamp Cypress, Water Pine Water Fir Shui song
Microcachrys tetragona Creeping Pine, Creeping Strawberry Pine
Pinus albicaulis Whitebark Pine, Scrub Pine, White Pine
Pinus aristata Bristlecone Pine, Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Interior Bristlecone
Pinus attenuata Knobcone Pine
Pinus banksiana Jack Pine, Scrub Pine, Banksian Pine, Hudson Bay Pine
Pinus bungeana Lacebark Pine, Whitebark Pine, Baipi Song
Pinus canariensis Canary Island Pine
Pinus cembra Swiss Stone Pine
Pinus contorta Lodgepole Pine
Pinus contorta var. contorta Shore Pine
Pinus contorta var. latifolia Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine
Pinus coulteri Coulter Pine, Bigcone Pine
Pinus densiflora Japanese Red Pine
Pinus edulis Pinyon Pine, Piñón Pine, Two-needle Pinyon Colorado Pinyon
Pinus elliottii Slash Pine, Swamp Pine
Pinus flexilis Limber Pine, Rocky Mountain White Pine
Pinus halepensis Aleppo Pine, Jerusalem Pine
Pinus heldreichii Bosnian Pine, Snakeskin Pine
Pinus jeffreyi Jeffrey Pine, Western Yellow Pine, Bull Pine
Pinus kwangtungensis Kwangtung Pine, Guangdong Pine
Pinus lambertiana Sugar Pine
Pinus leucodermis Bosnian Pine
Pinus monophylla Singleleaf Pinon Pine, One-leaved Pine
Pinus monticola Western White Pine
Pinus mugo Mugo Pine
Pinus mugo var. pumilio Mugo pine, Dwarf Mugo pine
Pinus nigra Austrian Pine
Pinus parviflora Japanese White Pine
Pinus parvifola Pinus parvifola
Pinus pinaster Maritime Pine, Cluster Pine, Turpentine Pine
Pinus pinea Italian Stone Pine, Umbrella Pine
Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine, Western Yellow Pine
Pinus pumila Japanese Stone Pine, Dwarf Siberian Pine
Pinus radiata Monterey Pine
Pinus resinosa Red Pine
Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine, Foothill Pine
Pinus strobiformis Southwestern White Pine, Mexican White Pine, Chihuahua White Pine
Pinus strobus Eastern White Pine
Pinus sylvestris Scots Pine, Scotch Pine
Pinus thunbergii Japanese Black Pine
Pinus virginiana Virginia Pine, Scrub Pine, Jersey Pine
Pinus wallichiana Himalayan Pine, Bhutan Pine
Pinus yunnanensis Yunnan Pine
Sciadopitys verticillata Japanese Umbrella Pine, Umbrella Pine
Wollemia nobilis Wollemi Pine