Bug FAQCommon Carpet Moth
Epirrhoe alternata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: White-banded Toothed Carpet Moth, Common Carpet, White-banded Toothed Carpet
The common carpet moth has a wingspan of about 27 to 30 mm and its forewings are grey to black with white striped bands, while the hindwings are a lighter grey with similar white markings. It occurs across the Palearctic region and the Near East and its larvae feed on bedstraw plants. Adults can be seen from May through September, with one or two generations each year, and the species overwinters as a pupa.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings range from grey to black and have white striped bands. Hindwings are a paler grey with white stripes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan measures 27 to 30 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on bedstraw.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Produces one or two broods each year; adults appear from May to September. Overwinters in the pupal stage.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Washington, West Virginia.
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/Common_carpet
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.