Least carpet
Its cream to light brown forewings carry a jagged, dark banded crossline, and the species has expanded steadily into new areas across its range in recent decades.
| Where | Gardens, hedgerows, and scrub |
|---|---|
| Size | 19 to 21 mm wingspan |
| When | June to August |
The least carpet is a small, delicately marked moth with cream to light brown forewings crossed by a jagged, dark band that ranges from brown to dark orange, bordered by darker shading of the same tones.
Caterpillars feed on ivy and traveller's joy among other plants, and the moth flies at night through summer, favouring gardens, hedgerows, scrub, and downland across its range.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
White, Brown
Active
Night
To people
Harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The small dusty wave is the same size at 19 to 21 mm but is plain grey with fine darker speckling and a single black discal spot, lacking the least carpet's jagged brown banded crossline.
Questions
Is the Least carpet dangerous to people?
Harmless to people.
When can you see the Least carpet?
The Least carpet can be seen from June to August, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Zinnmann, 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.
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Butterflies and moths›Geometer moths›Idaea
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.