
Garden Carpet
The blue or blue-grey border on the outer edge of the forewing is what gives this species its name. The darker northern form of this moth usually has a complete band of brown across the grey forewings whereas the southern form has lighter forewings with distinct brown blotches. Flies in late afternoon, early evening and after dark.
The larvae can be seen from April to early June. They overwinter as eggs in a fork of a twig on the foodplant.
Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) but also found on birches, Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), Plum (Prunus domestica) and Apple (Malus domestica).
Frequents habitats where foodplants occur, including areas surrounding streams, ponds and wet meadows, damp woodland, hedgerows, scrub, orchards and sometimes gardens.
Blue-bordered Carpet (upperwing) - Ilia Ustyantsev
Ilia Ustyantsev
Blue-bordered Carpet (upperwing) - Ilia Ustyantsev
Ilia Ustyantsev
Blue-bordered Carpet (underwing) - Andrew Hardacre
Andrew Hardacre
Blue-bordered Carpet (upperwing) - Vlad Proklov
Vlad Proklov
Blue-bordered Carpet (upperwing) by Ian Kimber
Blue-bordered Carpet (upperwing) by Ian Kimber