Northern Pine Sphinx

Lapara bombycoides · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Sphingidae

Also called: Northern Pine Sphinx Moth

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Northern Pine Sphinx
Photo: unknown, CC0

The Northern Pine Sphinx has a wingspan of about 45 to 60 mm. Its caterpillars feed on several pine species and on tamarack (Larix laricina). Adults are active in mid-June to mid-July in Canada.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The forewing upper side is darker than that of the similar Lapara coniferarum, with more distinct antemedian lines. The species shows variable appearance.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

Wingspan ranges from 45 to 60 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Larvae feed on various pines such as Pinus resinosa, Pinus rigida, Pinus sylvestris, and on Larix laricina.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Caterpillars eat several pine species and tamarack.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Flight period is mid-June through mid-July.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

It can be confused with Lapara coniferarum, but its forewing is darker and its antemedian lines are clearer.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 24 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan, Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Connecticut.

Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.

Source: GBIF

Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist

Months it is reported in the US

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Northern Pine Sphinx photo 3
Photo: Jake McCumber, CC BY
Northern Pine Sphinx photo 4
Photo: Jonathan Layman, CC BY
Northern Pine Sphinx photo 5
Photo: Tom Scavo, CC BY
Northern Pine Sphinx photo 6
Photo: A. Johann, CC BY

Questions people ask

What trees do the caterpillars eat?

They feed on several pine species and on tamarack (Larix laricina).

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Sphingidae)

White-lined SphinxWhite-lined SphinxHyles lineataDamages trees, gardens or cropsEurasian Hummingbird HawkmothEurasian Hummingbird HawkmothMacroglossum stellatarumSnowberry ClearwingSnowberry ClearwingHemaris diffinisCarolina SphinxCarolina SphinxManduca sextaDamages trees, gardens or cropsHummingbird ClearwingHummingbird ClearwingHemaris thysbeDamages trees, gardens or cropsElephant HawkmothElephant HawkmothDeilephila elpenor

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapara_bombycoides

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.