Bug FAQMottled Gray Carpet
Cladara limitaria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: Angle-lined Carpet Moth, Mottled Gray Carpet Moth
The mottled gray carpet moth (Cladara limitaria) has a wingspan of about 21 to 28 mm. Adults appear from April to June, are attracted to light, and live in deciduous, mixed, and coniferous forests across North America.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Cladara limitaria is the scientific name for the mottled gray carpet moth, a member of the Geometridae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 21 mm to 28 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are attracted to lights at night.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on sheep laurel and conifer trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adult moths are active from April through June.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults is April to June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs throughout North America, from Alaska east to Newfoundland and Labrador and south to Alabama.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Its MONA or Hodges number is 7637.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 37 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Wyoming, Pennsylvania.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
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/Cladara_limitaria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.