hemlock looper (Nepytia canosaria Walker), occasionally occurring in large numbers and usually in conjunction with the hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria), the Eupithecia species, the yellowlined conifer looper (Cladara limitaria), and the saddleback looper (Ectropis crepuscularia). The late summer and fall group includes the common spruce-fir looper (Semiothisa signaria dispuncta) and the similar hemlock angle (moth) Macaria fissinotata on hemlock, the small spruce loopers Eupithecia species, the gray spruce looper Caripeta divisata, occasionally abundant, the black-dashed hydriomena moth (Hydriomena divisaria), and the whitelined looper (Eufidonia notataria). Uses Wildlife such as deer, rabbits, and grouse browse the foliage during the winter. The wood of white spruce is of a lower quality than that of Engelmann spruce, but is stronger. It was used to make shelters and as firewood by Native Americans and European settlers in Alaska, where lodgepole pine does not grow. The wood is of major economic importance in Canada, being harvested for paper and construction. It is also used as a Christmas tree. The wood is also exported to Japan where, known as "shin-kaya", it is used to make go boards as a substitute for the rare kaya wood. Black Hills Spruce (Picea glauca var. densata) is used for bonsai. White spruce is the provincial tree of Manitoba and the state tree of South Dakota. The new growth or tips of white spruce is used in beer making, gin production, flavouring pop, candy making or in pickles and preserves. Varieties Several geographical varieties have been described, but are not accepted as distinct by all authors. These comprise, from east to west: Picea glauca var. glauca (typical or eastern white spruce): from Newfoundland west to eastern Alberta, on lowland plains. Picea glauca var. densata (Black Hills white spruce): The Black Hills in South Dakota. Picea glauca var. albertiana (Alberta white spruce): The Rocky Mountains in Alberta, British Columbia and northwest Montana. Picea glauca var. porsildii (Alaska white spruce): Alaska and Yukon. The two western varieties are distinguished by pubescent shoots, and may be related to extensive hybridisation and intergradation with the closely related Engelmann spruce found further south in the Rocky Mountains. White spruce also hybridises readily with the closely related Sitka spruce where they meet in southern Alaska and northwestern British Columbia; this hybrid is known as Picea × lutzii. Cultivars Numerous cultivars of various sizes, colours and shapes have been selected for use in parks and gardens. The following