Mottled beauty
Its wing pattern varies so much between individuals, from pale cream to near black, that two Mottled beauties caught in the same light trap can look like different species.
| Where | Woodland, heathland and gardens |
|---|---|
| Size | 30 to 45 mm wingspan |
| When | June to August |
The Mottled beauty is a heavily variable moth, ranging from pale to dark brown with fine crosslines that do not converge at the rear wing edge, a detail that separates it from the similar Willow beauty.
Caterpillars feed on a wide range of woody plants including oak, birch, hawthorn and honeysuckle, and adults rest by day on bark or fences before coming readily to light after dark through summer.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Brown, Grey
Active
Night
To people
Attracted to light; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similar mottled brown tones at a slightly smaller 30 to 38 mm wingspan, but its crosslines converge toward the rear wing edge, unlike the parallel lines of the Mottled beauty.
Questions
Is the Mottled beauty dangerous to people?
Attracted to light; harmless to people.
When can you see the Mottled beauty?
The Mottled beauty can be seen from June to August, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Vítězslav Maňák (SLU), CC BY‑SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
The plate on this page is shared under the same licence as its source, CC BY-SA.
Report a mistake in this entry
Butterflies and moths›Geometer moths›Alcis
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.