Adult beetles are ¾ to 1 inch long. The adult's upper body is velvety green to dull brown with lengthwise stripes of green with yellow-orange margins on the hardened front wing. The underside of the body is shiny metallic green or gold. Adults also have a distinct, small, flat horn on the head (Fig. 2). Green June beetle grubs are 3/8 (first instar) to 1½ inches long with a white stubby body and short legs. The grubs have an unusual habit of crawling on their backs rather than relying on their small legs, which are extended upward as they move across surfaces. Ridges located on the upper surface of the grub's body are covered with short, stiff hairs that assist them in moving on the surface of the grass.

Home lawns in select areas of the Mid-Atlantic often are subject to severe and extensive injury from green June beetle grubs. Green June beetle is also called the fig-eater because of its fondness of ripe figs and other thin-skinned fruit. Researchers have stated that this insect is a native pest with a wide distribution from Connecticut and southeastern New York to Florida and westward into Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Over the past 30 years, green June beetle has received minimal attention, except when the big adults were active fliers in July, especially since their buzzing sound during flight resembles that of bumble bees.