Common Carpet

The Common Carpet moth, as its name suggests, is a fairly common moth.

The Common Carpet has two generations each year in the south of Britain, the first in May and June and the second in August and September. In northern Britain there is only one generation each year, in mid-July to mid-August.

The adult moths fly from dusk, but can often be disturbed from low vegetation during the day. The caterpillars are generally brown or green but have variable markings. They can be seen from June to July and September to October in the south and July to August in the north. It overwinters as pupae in a cocoon on the ground.

The Common Carpet can be seen in a wide range of habitats, including grassland, heathland, moorland and urban habitats.

The caterpillars food plants include, cleavers and bedstraws.

A common and well distributed species in Britain.