Green carpet
A freshly emerged Green carpet moth is a true bright green, but that color fades within days to yellowish or almost white, leaving old specimens barely recognizable.
| Where | Heaths, gardens and open woodland |
|---|---|
| Size | 22 to 29 mm wingspan |
| When | May to September |
The Green carpet is bright green when newly emerged, with darker green cross-lines and pale markings, but this color fades quickly to yellowish, whitish or even pink-tinged as the moth ages. Worn individuals are easily mistaken for other pale carpet moths.
In southern regions two generations fly, from May to July and again in August and September, while further north there is usually one generation on the wing in summer. Caterpillars feed on bedstraws, including hedge bedstraw and cleavers, in hedgerows and grassy places.
Traits
Habitat
Heath
Colour
Green, Yellow
Active
Night
To people
Comes to light at night; poses no known risk to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
A similar 22 to 31 mm wingspan and pale enough that worn examples of the Green carpet are sometimes confused with it, though it always shows two dark spots on the leading edge of each forewing.
Questions
Is the Green carpet dangerous to people?
Comes to light at night; poses no known risk to people.
When can you see the Green carpet?
The Green carpet can be seen from May to September, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by nick goodrum from Catfield in Norfolk, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Geometer moths›Colostygia
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.