Identification
Adult: forewing bright green or yellow with four black linear stripes
Nymph: first and second instars completely orange or red; later instars have reddish-orange abdomen and black wingpads
Range
eastern United States and southeastern Canada
Habitat
fields, gardens, around homes
Food
nymphs and adults feed preferentially on members of the mint family (wild mint, catnip, peppermint, spearmint, hyssop, oregano) but will attack a variety of wild plants (thistle, dandelion, burdock, tansy, loosestrife, sumac) as well as cultivated flowers (carnation, geranium, chrysanthemum, snapdragon, phlox) and crops (alfalfa, ginger, currant, raspberry, cucumber, lettuce, pea, potato, radish, squash)
Life Cycle
eggs overwinter inside stems of hostplant and hatch in spring; nymphs pass through five instars in April-May; adults appear in June, mated females insert eggs into stems of hostplant, and adults die by end of August (Syngenta Crop Protection Canada)
Internet References
live adult image (Mark Cassino, Michigan, courtesy USDA)
live adult images (Bruce Marlin, Illinois)
live adult image (Giff Beaton, Georgia)
live adult and plant damage images plus biology and other info (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
images of plant damage (insectimages.org)
biology, plus description, hostplants, plant damage (Syngenta Crop Protection Canada)
distribution and literature references (American Museum of Natural History)
