Green tiger beetle
It can sprint across bare ground at about 60 centimetres per second, chasing down prey with a burst of speed unusual for a beetle its size.
| Where | Sandy heath, bare open ground |
|---|---|
| Size | 12 to 15 mm long |
| When | March to August |
The green tiger beetle has bright, often iridescent green wing cases marked with small cream spots, dark eyes, and long brown legs covered in pale hairs.
It hunts on foot across open, sandy or bare ground, using large eyes and long legs to run down and seize smaller insects with its curved jaws.
Traits
Habitat
Heath
Colour
Green, Metallic, White
Active
Day
To people
Harmless; too small and shy to bite or sting people
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The northern dune tiger beetle is a similar size but has a purplish-brown ground colour rather than green, with pale curved markings instead of separate cream spots.
Questions
Is the Green tiger beetle dangerous to people?
Harmless; too small and shy to bite or sting people.
When can you see the Green tiger beetle?
The Green tiger beetle can be seen from March to August, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Evanherk at nl.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 nl, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Beetles›Ground beetles›Cicindela
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.