Top 20 Most Common Insects in Cape Breton

The spotted tussock moth (Lophocampa maculata) gets its name from the long tufts of hair it has as a caterpillar. The adults are a mix of yellow and brown while the larvae are a fuzzy pattern of yellow and black. These larvae are pests because they consume a wide range wood, including birch, oak, maple, and willow.

The wingspan is 1.7 - 2.5 cm. The wings vary from white to gray or even blackish-brown. The larvae are variable in colour, ranging from green to yellow, orange brown or purple-brown.

The autumn webworm is considered a pest of many types of trees and crops. It got its name from the distinctive webbed tents they create on hardwood trees during the caterpillar stage. They can eat all the leaves of an entire tree during this process.

The wingspan is 2.5 - 4 cm.

The isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) grows into the Isabella Tiger Moth. In folklore, the amount of brown on their band is said to determine the length of the upcoming winter. Over the winter it freezes completely. It prevents the damage of tissue by producing a liquid that preserves the tissue.

C. maenas has a carapace up to 90 mm (9.0 cm) long and 210 mm (8.3 in) wide, but can be larger outside its native range, reaching 713 mm (28.1 in) wide in British Columbia. The carapace has five short teeth along the rim behind each eye, and three undulations between the eyes. The undulations, which protrude beyond the eyes, are the simplest means of distinguishing C. maenas from the closely related C. aestuarii, which can also be an invasive species. In C. aestuarii, the carapace lacks any bumps and extends forward beyond the eyes. Another characteristic for distinguishing the two species is the form of the first and second pleopods (collectively the gonopods), which are straight and parallel in C. aestuarii, but curve outwards in C. maenas. The colour of C. maenas varies greatly, from green to brown, grey, or red. This variation has a genetic component, but is largely due to local environmental factors. In particular, individuals which delay moulting become red-coloured rather than green. Red individuals are stronger and more aggressive, but are less tolerant of environmental stresses, such as low salinity or hypoxia. Juvenile crabs on average display greater patterning than adults.

Iridopsis larvaria is a butterfly from the family of spanners (Geometridae). The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1858 by Guenée.

The wingspan is 3.5 - 4 cm.

The species has a wingspan of 1.3 - 1.8 cm. The ground colour of the wings is brownish yellow, brownish white to slightly reddish white.The pattern elements are dark grey to dark brown. The median band and the two crosslines can be incomplete or interrupted. They are marked by so-called costal stains on the front wing at the costa. There is a light wavy line, which is limited mainly to the inside edge and marked on both sides by dark stains in the marginal field. The fore and hindwings have black discal flecks, which are occasionally significantly weaker on the forewings. Marginal stains are connected by a thin line.

Speranza pustularia, the lesser maple spanworm, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found from Nova Scotia to Florida, west to Mississippi, north to North Dakota and Saskatchewan. The wingspan is 18–27 mm. Adults are on wing from May to July in the south and from June to August in the north. There is one generation per year. The larvae feed on the leaves of maple (especially Acer rubrum) but have also been recorded on birch, cherry, poplar, Abies, Tsuga and tamarack.