Bug FAQLeast Carpet
Idaea rusticata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
The Least Carpet moth has a wingspan of about 19 to 21 mm and forewings 9 to 11 mm long. It is pale whitish-cream, sometimes with a faint brown tone, and the forewings show a dark brown to red-brown transverse band with a pointed black spot inside. It lives in wastelands, open places, parks and sunny gardens across most of Europe, the Near East and North Africa, extending east through the Palearctic to Mongolia.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 19 to 21 mm. Each forewing measures 9 to 11 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They also eat withered leaves of other herbaceous plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It is usually a single-generation (univoltine) species. In southern Europe, a second generation can appear under favourable conditions.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight season given refers to the British Isles and may vary elsewhere.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs in most of Europe, the Near East and North Africa. Its range continues east across the Balkan Peninsula, Ukraine, southern Russia, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, northern Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Central Asian mountains and reaches Mongolia.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are Least Carpet moths active?
The adults are nocturnal and are on the wing from July through August, though the exact timing can differ outside the British Isles.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
They mainly feed on ivy and traveller’s joy, and will also consume withered leaves of other herbaceous plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Willow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidaria
Pale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Riband WaveIdaea aversata
Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaea_rusticata
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.