Bug FAQShowy Emerald
Dichorda iridaria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: Showy Emerald Moth
The Showy Emerald moth has a wingspan of roughly 25 to 28 mm. It occurs across many U.S. states and parts of Canada in North America. Its caterpillars feed on several Rhus species and Toxicodendron radicans.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure about 25 to 28 mm from wing tip to wing tip.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat leaves of Rhus plants such as Rhus typhina and Rhus copallina, as well as Toxicodendron radicans.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, recorded in many U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is the Showy Emerald found?
It lives in many parts of the United States and Canada across North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Willow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidaria
Pale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Riband WaveIdaea aversata
Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichorda_iridaria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.