Bug FAQPotato Mirid
Closterotomus norwegicus · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Miridae
Also called: Plant bug
Source: Wikipedia
Adults turn reddish-brown, while nymphs are green and have distinctive spots on the prothorax and scutellum. They are found on many plants such as nettle, clover, cannabis, potatoes, carrots and chrysanthemums, preferring flowers, buds and unripe fruit. The species occurs across the Palearctic from the British Isles to Siberia and is also present in North America as an introduced species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Nymphs are green; adults become reddish-brown. The prothorax shows two spots and the scutellum has dark markings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They feed on nettle, clover, cannabis, various Compositae, potatoes, carrots and chrysanthemums. They prefer feeding on flowers, buds and unripe fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Plants eaten include nettle, clover, cannabis, potatoes, carrots and chrysanthemums. They target flowers, buds and unripe fruit of these hosts.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found throughout the Palearctic from the British Isles east to Siberia. Also present in the Nearctic as an adventive (introduced) species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Maine, Washington, Idaho, New York, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Is the potato mirid a problem for my garden?
Yes, it feeds on many garden plants and can damage flowers, buds and unripe fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Miridae)
North American Tarnished Plant BugLygus lineolarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red-spotted Plant BugDeraeocoris ruber
Alfalfa Plant BugAdelphocoris lineolatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Meadow Plant BugLeptopterna dolabrataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Four-lined Plant BugPoecilocapsus lineatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Lygus pratensisLygus pratensisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closterotomus_norvegicus
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.