Bug FAQPoplar Leaf Beetle
Chrysomela populi · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Also called: Red Poplar Leaf Beetle
Source: Wikipedia
The poplar leaf beetle is a small, round beetle about 9 to 13 mm long with a dark body and bright-red wing covers that have a black base. Adults chew round holes in the foliage of poplars and willows, while larvae strip the undersides of leaves, harming these trees. It is widespread across most of Europe and much of the Palearctic and Oriental realms, living in forests and dry meadows where poplars and willows grow.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle has a dark (black, blue or green) rounded body that looks like a ladybird. Its wing covers are bright red with a black spot at the base.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It grows to about 9 to 13 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives mainly in coniferous, mixed and broad-leaf forests, forest edges and dry meadows that have poplars or willows.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on developing leaves, making large round holes in the foliage.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species produces two to three generations each year. Larvae of the final generation spend the winter in leaf litter under the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are present from April through October. Population peaks from May to August and remains abundant until September or October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is one of the most common leaf beetles in Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It also resembles Chrysomela saliceti and Chrysomela tremula.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What trees do poplar leaf beetles damage?
Both adults and larvae feed on poplar and willow leaves, with larvae stripping the leaf undersides completely.
Source: Wikipedia
When are poplar leaf beetles most common?
Adults appear from April to October, with the highest numbers between May and August.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this beetle apart from similar species?
It has shorter antennae and a less extensive pronotum than Chrysolina grossa, though it looks similar to C. saliceti and C. tremula.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the poplar leaf beetle live?
It inhabits forests, forest edges and dry meadows with poplars or willows across most of Europe and into the Palearctic and Oriental regions.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Chrysomelidae)
Spotted Cucumber BeetleDiabrotica undecimpunctataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bean WeevilAcanthoscelides obtectusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Cowpea WeevilCallosobruchus maculatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Swamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleLabidomera clivicollisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Alder Leaf BeetleAgelastica alniDamages trees, gardens or crops
Dogbane Leaf BeetleChrysochus auratusSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysomela_populi
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.