Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Nocturnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate forest

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

Geometer moths are a large family of moths, over 23,000 species in total, with more than 1400 species native to North America. Their larvae, or inchworms, move in a looping fashion as they measure the earth.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2. 2.
   caterpillar

   A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3. 3.
   cocoon

   A silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4. 4.
   moth

   A winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Geometridae