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webworm label.JPG (96949 bytes) Introduced from Europe, parsnip webworms, Depressaria pastinacella (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), were first detected in North American in 1869. They feed exclusively on a handful of  furanocoumarin-containing hosts, including wild parsnip and several species of Heracleum.   In these pages, you can explore the ways in which the parsnip webworm has adapted to its hosts and to other aspects of daily life.

last updated 8/14/1999