Budworm (Choristoneura sp.)
The common spruce budworm is a caterpillar ½ to ¾ inch long and dark brown. Its parents are brown moths marked with gray spots. They arrive in the yard in June and July, when females lay clusters of flat, pale green eggs on the needles of trees. In ten days the eggs hatch. One generation of budworms occurs each year. A few of the most common species include the spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana), the Jack pine budworm (C. pinus), and the Western spruce budworm (C. occidentalis)