Garden Carpet Moth Caterpillar

Similar to the garden carpet which tends to be smaller and darker with an incomplete central band.

Garden carpet moth caterpillar.

Caterpillars eat leaves flowers and fruits of various crops. It has a very characteristic jagged yellow line down its side which makes it look quite similar to another spiny caterpillar in this guide the red admiral butterfly. It is continuously brooded during the summer months from april through to september and adults and larvae could be found in any of these months. They belong to the family of tiger moths arctiidae which includes many attractive and widespread species woolly bears are the larva of the isabella tiger moth pyrrharctia isabella and they feed on a number of common plants found in second growth.

Identifying clothes carpet moths webbing clothes moth case bearing clothes moth. Garden carpet a really common visitor to gardens and allotments the garden carpet isn t the most stand out moth but does have some features that differentiate it from other carpet species. It has claspers and legs at the back plus front legs and walks by looping its back then stretching a looper. Unfortunately getting rid of moths in a garden is a double edged sword.

This moth can resemble the galium carpet which has more pointed forewings and more distinct white areas between darker forewing bands. Each kind of caterpillar has different food preferences. Mint moth caterpillars love munching on mint as they grow while the adults like resting on mint plants during the day hence this moths name. Can be easily disturbed from vegetation during the day from grassy ditches and the edges of woodland rides.

Darker forms of the moth found in the northern isles northern scotland and urban parts of london resemble the striped twin spot carpet but the dark band on the forewings is darker on the leading half in the garden carpet. A common species throughout the british isles this moth shows a preference for suburban habitats but can be found almost anywhere. Flies from dusk and into the night. In 1990 and 1991 mr waring released caterpillars of the barberry carpet moth raised in his back garden and now has evidence of two generations breeding successfully at a site in suffolk.

The spiny caterpillar of the smeared dagger moth feeds on many plants and is among the more common moth caterpillars in the eastern us. The wings vary from white to brownish white the central band varying in width and shade and can also be reduced to blotches near the leading edge. Adult moths are beneficial pollinators of many flowering plants some of which they ate when they were caterpillars.