Bug FAQGreen Tiger Beetle
Cicindela campestris · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Carabidae
Also called: Common Tiger Beetle, Field Tiger Beetle
Adult green tiger beetles are 12 to 15 mm long and have green elytra and thorax with cream-coloured spots, blackish eyes and brown legs with whitish hairs. They live on dry, sandy or chalky soils, often on heather moorland, and are active from May to October in Britain and other parts of Europe. Eggs hatch in mid-May, the larvae develop underground, and the adult emerges from the pupa in autumn; mating pairs can be seen from early April onward.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s wing covers and thorax are green with cream-coloured patches and show iridescence in bright sunlight. Its eyes are dark and the legs are brown with fine whitish hairs.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 12 to 15 mm (0.47 to 0.59 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer dry soils, especially sandy or chalky ground, and are commonly found on heather moorland.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs hatch in mid-May, and the adult emerges from the pupa in autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Most records come from the UK, Germany, Austria and southern Sweden, with activity from May to October. Mating pairs can be observed from early to late April, sometimes later.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The green tiger beetle is a widespread species across Eurasia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What do green tiger beetles look like?
They are small (12 to 15 mm), green with cream spots, have blackish eyes and brown legs with whitish hairs.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see green tiger beetles?
Adults are active from May through October, with mating pairs visible from early April onward.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Carabidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicindela_campestris
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.