Green caterpillars are a great way to interest your kids in nature.
They don’t have to be anything fancy; they can be colorful and exciting.
And, if you need to figure out what kind of caterpillar it is, the best thing is that there’s no right or wrong answer!
So, let’s go through some common green types of caterpillars and how you can identify them at home:
1. Winter Moth Caterpillar
The winter moth caterpillars are common green types of caterpillars with pests of shade trees, including oaks and maples. This insect can be found in the northeast region of the US.
It has been known to cause significant damage to trees by feeding on their leaves during spring when they hatch from eggs laid on branch tips or foliage near ground level.
The imperial moth, caterpillar, is also known as an imperial oak leaf miner because it feeds exclusively on leaves of oak trees in areas where few other insects would eat these food sources like ants do with aphids; however, this species does not attack living plants but prefers dead ones instead!
2. Imperial Moth Caterpillar
The Imperial Moth Caterpillar is a green type of caterpillar. These giant moths can also be orange-brown with black markings on their wings.
They are found in the United States and Canada and can be identified by size and coloration. They eat leaves from trees such as oak, maple, and elm.
The best way to prevent these green types of caterpillars from damaging your plants is by keeping them away from them first!
Since they’re so large (some grow up to 1 inch long), they can cause damage if access to your home or garden space is allowed.
If you find one of these moths roaming near your garden area, though – either inside or outside – don’t panic: many natural remedies are available to help rid these bugs without any harmful side effects!
3. Rough Prominent Moth Caterpillar
These green types of caterpillars are known as the “rough” or “checkerboard” moth because of their patterned appearance.
It is grayish with brown and black stripes. The head and thorax are covered in tiny hairs, while the abdomen has three pairs of white spots on each side (the first pair being more significant.
This green caterpillar can be found throughout most parts of North America, including Canada and Mexico.
The adult moth looks similar to those found in other genera; however, it lacks any distinct markings or patterns on its wingspan—its only distinguishing feature being an irregular brown patch near where its wings meet its body (this patch sometimes covers half or more of one branch).
Adult moths usually eat plants like milkweed leaves but feed on flowers such as roses when food sources become scarce during warm weather months
4. Cabbage Looper Caterpillar
The cabbage looper is a green caterpillar with a white stripe down its back. It feeds on various plants, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale.
This species is often confused with the imported cabbageworm (black and yellow stripes).
The cabbage looper is active from May through October. These green types of caterpillars overwinter as pupae in soil or debris. They emerge in the spring to feed on the foliage of host plants until they reach maturity.
5. Hackberry Emperor Caterpillar
Hackberry Emperor Caterpillars are green types of caterpillars. They have long legs that help them dash.
These green types of caterpillars love an evergreen habitat. They live in trees or shrubs that grow in dry areas such as deserts, grassland, and scrubland.
The hackberry emperor caterpillar hatches from an egg laid by a female moth after she has eaten her fill of nectar from the flowers of this plant.
The eggs hatch into larvae, like tiny worms with brown heads and yellow bodies.
They crawl around looking for food until they reach maturity at about three, when they become pupae (chrysalis), lasting up to six months before emerging as adults!
6. Angle Shades Moth Caterpillar
These green caterpillars can be green and white, with a black head. They feed on the leaves of trees, including oak and maple.
The species can be found in the eastern half of North America from Maine to Florida, as well as northern Ontario and Quebec.
The angle shades moth caterpillar is considered a pest of fruit trees because it attacks their leaves during late summer/early fall.
These green types of caterpillars feed on weeds growing near your garden or home if you have them.
7. Hickory Horned Devil Moth Caterpillar
The Hickory Horned Devil Moth caterpillars are green types with black spots. It has a brown head and thorax and a short horn on each side of its head. The transparent wings allow you to see the veins underneath them.
Habitat: Deciduous forests near hickory, walnut, oak, and pecan trees. Food Hickory nuts are its favorite food source; however, it will also eat other nuts and fruits if available in your area.
This overwintering green type of caterpillar can be found from June through October, depending on where you live.
Keep track of when these pests emerge so you don’t accidentally destroy wildlife habitat!
8. Cecropia Moth Caterpillar
The Cecropia Moth Caterpillar is a small, brown, yellow caterpillar with a greenish-white stripe down its back.
It has large greenish-white bars on each side of its body, which makes it look like it’s wearing a suit of armor. The legs and feet are also yellow.
The long antennae are also black and yellow striped, with its tail reaching up to half an inch long! The body of the Cecropia Moth Caterpillar is about 1/2 inch long and has a distinct black head.
The caterpillar’s coloration is brown with yellow stripes on each side of its body that look like armor.
9. Rustic Sphinx Moth Caterpillar
The Rustic Sphinx Moth caterpillar is green with a white stripe down the back. The caterpillars feed on willow, birch, poplar, and aspen trees.
These green caterpillars are often mistaken for snakes by people unfamiliar with the species.
The caterpillar has a long, thin body and black and white stripes that resemble the markings on a rattlesnake’s skin. It feeds on tree leaves during the day and rests in hiding at night.
10. Cabbage White Butterfly Caterpillar
Cabbage white butterflies are green caterpillars in Europe, Asia, and North America. It has large wings with black spots on them. The larvae feed on cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
The larva will chew through the leaves of its host plant to get at all parts containing nutrients such as water or sugar (carbohydrates).
The cabbage white butterfly has a wingspan of approximately 2 inches. They have fast flight speeds and can travel up to 30 miles per hour. The larvae of this green type of caterpillar are similar in appearance to the adult butterfly.
However, the adult butterfly is yellowish-green with black spots on its body.
11. European Puss Moth Caterpillar
The European puss moth caterpillars are sizeable, fuzzy green types of caterpillars with yellow and black stripes; it is a pest of fruit trees and shrubs.
The larvae develop inside the fruit tree or shrub until they are ready to pupate out of their host plant’s stem or leaf node, where they spin their cocoon and will pupate into adulthood over several days.
This green type of caterpillar can be found on many plants, including apples, cherries, and rose bushes.
12. Luna Moth Caterpillar
The Luna Moth Caterpillars are giant, green caterpillars with a yellow stripe down their back. It has black spots on its head and thorax and can grow up to 5 inches long.
The species inhabits the east coast of North America, where it feeds on maple and birch trees.
The Luna Moth is also known as the Elm Sphinx Moth or Small-eyed Sphinx (Smerinthus cerisyi). The adult Luna Moth is a giant, brownish-green moth with two prominent eyespots on its wings.
This green type of caterpillar is found on the eastern seaboard of North America, lives in deciduous forests, and feeds on sap from trees.
13. Copper Underwing Moth Caterpillar
The copper underwing moth caterpillar is a green type of caterpillar, a pest of many crops, including fruits and ornamental plants.
The caterpillar has a green body with orange stripes and two black spots on its back. It can be found in the eastern United States during the summer months.
The adult copper underwing moth is a small brown moth with a wingspan of about 0.75 inches.
These green caterpillars have been known to damage fruits such as apples, peaches, and apricots. It also feeds on other crops like corn and soybeans.
13. White-lined Sphinx Moth Caterpillar
The white-lined sphinx moth caterpillars are green with black lines down the back. It’s common in the eastern half of the United States and feeds on birch trees.
This caterpillar can grow up to 1 inch long as an adult moth, with a wingspan of about 3 inches (7 cm).
The white-lined sphinx can be found throughout the eastern half of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
It is a member of the family Sphingidae, which includes several other species, including the hummingbird moth.
14. Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar
The Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar is a giant, green type of caterpillar. It has a long body reaching 2 inches (5 cm).
The Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar eats leaves and flowers from trees or shrubs in its habitat. Most of the time, these green caterpillars are seen eating leaves from eucalyptus trees.
They have also been seen feeding on other plants, such as grape vines and rose bushes.
Adult butterflies live on eucalyptus trees during their mating season, from March through June.
- They mate within days after emerging from the pupae stage at night.
- The female lays eggs on the underside of an older leaf, where she will hatch into larvae within 7–10 days.
- These larvae then spin silk cocoons around themselves before turning into imaginal (egg) cocoons, which protects them while developing into pupae before emerging as adults.
15. Emperor Moth Caterpillar
The emperor moth caterpillar is a standard green type of caterpillar. It has a white body and black spots on its head, legs, and tail. The emperor moth can grow up to 1 inch long when fully grown.
The only way to tell if you have an emperor moth in your yard is to look for its droppings (which look like tiny pellets) around plants or trees that have been damaged.
16. Black Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar
The black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar is a giant, green type with black or yellow spots on its back. It’s among the most common green caterpillars in gardens and yards worldwide.
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars may be seen eating leaves or fruits, but they also enjoy crawling around, looking for other things to eat.
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars are the larvae of black swallowtail butterflies. They’re found in many areas of North America, including the Pacific Northwest, where they often visit gardens and yards.
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars are large, black caterpillars with orange or yellow spots on their backs. They have a distinctive white line that runs from the head to the tail end of their bodies.
The larvae can grow up to 4 inches long and are often seen eating leaves or fruits. They also enjoy crawling around and looking for other things to eat.
17. Genista Broom Moth Caterpillar
The Genista Broom Moth Caterpillars are green caterpillars with black stripes and orange spots. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of broom plants, which are shrubs with yellow flowers.
The caterpillars are a particular pest of Genista monspessulana, commonly known as French Broom.
This plant is native to southern Europe and western Asia but has been introduced to many other parts of the world, including North America.
The green caterpillars can completely defoliate the plant, eventually dying if left alone. The adult moths are grayish brown with a white band around their bodies and have a wingspan of about 1 inch (2.54 cm).
18. Tomato Hornworm Caterpillar
Tomato hornworms are giant green types of caterpillars with yellow and black stripes. It can be mistaken for the tobacco hornworm, a substantial green type of caterpillar with yellow and black lines.
This caterpillar has two yellow lines on its back, one extending down its body and another along its tail.
The rest of its body is dark green in coloration with black spots or streaks. The tomato hornworm is known to eat many different plants, including tomatoes, peppers, beans, potatoes, and many more!
19. Io Moth Caterpillar
The adult Io moth is a giant, colorful moth with a wingspan of about 5 inches. The Io moth caterpillar is a green type of caterpillar.
It’s found in the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida and in the Midwest from Minnesota to Texas.
Io moths are also spotted swallowtails or striped tiger moths because they have black markings on their wings when they are young.
However, these markings fade after they reach the adult stage, with bright yellow spots present along each edge of each wing section (this coloration helps people quickly identify this species).
