Bug FAQPoplar Leaf Beetle
Chrysomela populi · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Also called: Red Poplar Leaf Beetle
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are 9 to 13 mm long, have a round dark body and bright red wing covers with a black base spot. They live in forests, forest edges and dry meadows where poplars and willows grow, and are found across most of Europe and much of Asia. Two to three generations appear each year; adults are seen from April to October, peaking May-August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s body is black, dark blue or dark green and rounded like a ladybird.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It grows to about 9 to 13 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers coniferous, mixed and broad-leaf forests, forest fringes and dry meadows that have poplars or willows.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on developing leaves, making large round holes in poplar and willow foliage. Larvae eat the underside of leaves, stripping them completely.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species produces two to three generations each year. Larvae of the final generation overwinter in leaf litter.
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 the subfamily Chrysomelinae. Its range covers most of Europe and extends through the Palearctic and Oriental realms into Siberia, Central Asia, China and Japan.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It differs from Chrysolina grossa by having shorter antennae and a less extensive pronotum. It looks similar to 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
Questions people ask
What trees do they damage?
They feed on poplar and willow leaves, causing noticeable defoliation.
Source: Wikipedia
When are they most common?
Adults are most abundant from May to August, but can be seen from April to October.
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 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.