Bug FAQPearly Green Lacewing
Chrysopa perla · Order: Neuroptera · Family: Chrysopidae
The pearly green lacewing is a small green insect with blue-green wings marked by black veins and several black spots on its head and thorax. Adults are 10 to 12 mm long, have a wingspan of about 25 to 30 mm, and are seen from May through August in cool, shady woodlands and hedgerows. Both adults and larvae are predators that feed mainly on aphids and other small soft-bodied insects.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The body is green, the wings are blue-green with black veins, and the second antennal segment is black. Black markings appear on the head, thorax and below the abdomen.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 10 to 12 mm in length with a wingspan of 25 to 30 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults hunt aphids and may also sip flower nectar. Larvae prey on aphids, scale insects and caterpillars such as cabbage white and silver Y.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults spend the winter in hibernation.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are active from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs throughout most of Europe and in temperate parts of Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles Chrysopa dorsalis but can be told apart by the roundish pale spot between the eyes that C. perla lacks.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Georgia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see pearly green lacewings?
Adults are most commonly observed from May to August.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they look like?
They are green insects with blue-green wings that have black veins and several black spots on the head and thorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Where do they live?
They favor cool, shady habitats like deciduous woods, wet forests, hedgerows and scrubby grassland.
Source: Wikipedia
What do they eat?
Both adults and larvae are predators that mainly feed on aphids, with larvae also taking scale insects and certain caterpillars.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Chrysopidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopa_perla
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.