Clay Triple-Lines

Cyclophora linearia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Clay Triple-Lines
Photo: agujaceratops, CC BY

The clay triple-lines is a small moth with a wingspan of about 26 to 33 mm. It lives in Europe, especially the southern half of Britain, and the caterpillars feed on beech leaves.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

First-generation adults have pale brown to orange wings, while the second generation is rose-red. Each forewing bears three black-to-reddish crosslines, the middle one being the broadest. In the second generation the crosslines may appear vague.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

The wingspan ranges from 26 to 33 mm.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It belongs to the Geometridae family of moths.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The larvae feed on beech trees.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Adults are on the wing from May to July, depending on location.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Flight period is May through July, varying with region.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

First described in 1799, it occurs across Europe and mainly the southern part of Britain.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

It can be confused with several close relatives: Blair's mocha (Cyclophora puppillaria), Jersey mocha (C. ruficiliaria), Maiden’s blush (C. punctaria), and false mocha (C. porata).

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Clay Triple-Lines photo 3
Photo: Drepanostoma, CC BY

Questions people ask

When can I see adult clay triple-lines?

Adults fly from May to July, though the exact timing depends on where you are.

Source: Wikipedia

What do the caterpillars eat?

The larvae feed on the leaves of beech trees.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Geometridae)

Willow BeautyWillow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidariaPale BeautyPale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or cropsLarge Lace-border MothLarge Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or cropsRiband WaveRiband WaveIdaea aversataYellow Shell MothYellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineataLarge Maple Spanworm MothLarge Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclophora_linearia

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.