Bug FAQGreen Arches
Anaplectoides prasina · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Green Arches Moth
The green arches moth has a wingspan of about 40 to 50 mm and its forewings are green with dark markings and a whitish-green blotch near the reniform stigma. It lives across Europe and Asia into Siberia and also occurs in North America, from southern Canada down to several US states such as Washington, Oregon and New Jersey. Adults are on the wing from May through August, while the larvae are brownish-purple caterpillars that feed on a wide range of herbaceous plants and hardwoods.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 40 to 50 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits both the Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars are generalist feeders on both herbaceous plants and hardwoods, recorded on blueberries, hazelnut, maples and raspberry.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults fly from May to August, depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The moth is active during the months of May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
In North America it is found in southern Canada and several US states including Washington, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, New Jersey, Ohio and North Carolina.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Several forms resemble the green arches but differ in colour patterns, such as the very pale ‘ab. pallida’ where the wing is whitish-green, the reddish-brown ‘ab. suffusa’, the grey-white ‘albimacula’ from Bukowina, and the dark brownish-grey ‘lugubris’ from Estonia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 29 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alaska, Vermont, Michigan, Montana, Oregon, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Hampshire.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are green arches moths active?
Adults are on the wing from May through August, depending on where you live.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars look like?
The larvae are purplish-brown with a pale line along the back and blackish blotches, plus a pale line near the sides edged with dark colour.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaplectoides_prasina
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.