Bug Wiki
Sticker of Topiary grass-veneer
Bug card No. 4400 of 4,939

Topiary grass-veneer

Chrysoteuchia topiarius
Eats: PlantsMothsGardens and meadows6 legs

The topiary grass-veneer is a small moth that lives in most of North America. Its caterpillars live down in the grass. They are so good at it that one of its names is the subterranean sod webworm.

Lives in
Most of North America, in grassy places
Wingspan
1.7 to 2 cm (0.67 to 0.79 in)
Top speed
about 9.9 km/h (6.2 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It is a small moth that does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat many kinds of plants, mostly grasses.
For real!Photo of Topiary grass-veneer
Picture by Cheryl Moorehead. CC BY 3.0 us, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How wide are its wings?

Topiary grass-veneer wings about 2 cm tip to tip (0.79 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
wings as wide as 3 grains of rice in a rowcould fly across a whole football pitch in 38 seconds

How big is Topiary grass-veneer compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its caterpillars also nibble at the bottom of cranberry plants, leaving brown, dead patches. That is why it is also called the cranberry girdler.

2

Only one set of new moths hatches each year, and the grown-ups fly from late June to early August.

3

Its wings are just under 2 centimetres across.

you asked

Most asked questions about Topiary grass-veneer

?What does the topiary grass-veneer eat?

Its caterpillars eat mostly grasses, and sometimes cranberry plants.

?Why is it called the cranberry girdler?

Because its caterpillars feed at the base of cranberry plants and leave brown, dead patches.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Chrysoteuchia topiarius
Named by
Zeller, 1866
Group
Moths
Family
Crambidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Crambidae
Lives on
North America
Also known as
Subterranean sod webworm, Cranberry girdler

Where the facts come from

  1. Chrysoteuchia topiarius (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Cheryl Moorehead. CC BY 3.0 us, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Moths

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Honey jarfor grown-ups