Scorched carpet
Its caterpillars feed only on spindle shrubs, turning bright green with red markings that echo the color of ripening spindle berries.
| Where | Hedgerows, woodland edges and gardens |
|---|---|
| Size | 25 to 30 mm wingspan |
| When | April to August |
The Scorched Carpet is a small moth with glossy white to cream forewings, the base marked with dark brown that can look faintly blue grey, crossed near the outer edge by a wavy blue grey and brown band.
Two generations fly between spring and late summer. Caterpillars feed almost exclusively on spindle, growing bright green with red dorsal spots and lateral blotches before pupating.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
White, Brown, Grey
Active
Night
To people
Comes to light at night; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
A similarly sized carpet moth at about 27 to 31 mm wingspan, but patterned in contrasting black, white and grey blotches rather than the Scorched Carpet's smoother brown and white bands.
Questions
Is the Scorched carpet dangerous to people?
Comes to light at night; harmless to people.
When can you see the Scorched carpet?
The Scorched carpet can be seen from April to August, at night.
Plate retouched from a photo by Ben Sale from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Geometer moths›Ligdia
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.