While these beautiful and delicate looking insects are harmless to humans, they are very capable predators that always seem to be hungry. And since they tend to feed on other species of insects that are considered garden pests, they are a welcome sight for gardeners. The larvae are called “aphid lions,” which sometimes pile the carcasses of their victims on their backs and/or cover themselves with other debris to camouflage them. We are not 100% sure, but we believe this lacewing is in the Green Lacewing family, Chrysopidae, rather than the Brown Lacewing family, Hemerobiidae. Most species are green in the Green Lacewing family, but some are brown, especially overwintering adults of certain species.

Photo by: Karen Weaver on 4/9/21 in Missoula, MT