Bug FAQNorthern Carpet
Xanthorhoe abrasaria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
The northern carpet moth has a wingspan of about 21 to 24 mm. Adults fly in July and there is one generation each year. Its caterpillars feed on plants of the Galium genus.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It belongs to the Geometridae family and was first described by Herrich-Schäffer in 1856.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan ranges from 21 to 24 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs in the northern parts of the Palearctic and Nearctic regions.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae have been recorded eating Galium species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing in July and the species produces one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults is in July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the northern Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 16 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Alaska, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Kentucky.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are northern carpet moths active?
Adults are active and can be seen flying in July.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthorhoe_abrasaria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.