Green longhorn
Males of this tiny day-flying moth carry antennae about four times the length of their own body and use them while dancing together in sunlit spring swarms.
| Where | Woodland edges, hedgerows and scrub |
|---|---|
| Size | 14 to 18 mm wingspan |
| When | April to May |
The Green Longhorn is a small day-flying moth with metallic bronze green forewings and dark brown hindwings that catch a violet sheen in sunlight. Males are immediately recognisable by their extremely long, pale, thread-like antennae, several times the length of the forewing, while females carry much shorter antennae.
Adults fly in April and May, when males gather in swarms of up to thirty individuals over the tops of trees and bushes on sunny days. A female flying through a swarm is caught by a male and mating takes place in flight.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Green, Metallic, Brown
Active
Day
To people
Swarms in sunshine by day; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similar in size at about 14 to 17 mm wingspan, but the female has short black antennae rather than the paler, shorter antennae of the female Green Longhorn.
Questions
Is the Green longhorn dangerous to people?
Swarms in sunshine by day; harmless to people.
When can you see the Green longhorn?
The Green longhorn can be seen from April to May, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Janet Graham, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Fairy longhorn moths›Adela
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.