Bug FAQCommon Heath
Ematurga atomaria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Common Heath moth has a wingspan of about 24 to 34 mm and shows variable brownish colours with bands or spots. It lives on most heaths across the British Isles and its range stretches from western Europe to Siberia and the Mediterranean region. The caterpillars feed on heather, heath and clovers, while adults fly mainly in May-June, sometimes again in August.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Colour varies from yellow-brown to dark brown, often mottled with bands or spots; males have comb-like antennae. Females are usually brown with white dusting but can be almost white with brown crosslines.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 24 to 34 mm (0.9 to 1.3 in).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on heather, heath, ling, clover, trefoils, broom and similar plants.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in May and June, with occasional specimens in August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found across the Palearctic from the Iberian Peninsula and central Europe east to Siberia and Sakhalin, also in the northern Mediterranean and Turkish Black Sea region.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Wisconsin.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see Common Heath moths?
They are active mainly in May and June, and sometimes again in August.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on heather, heath, ling, clover, trefoils and broom.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this moth found?
It lives on most heaths across the British Isles and across Europe to Siberia and the Mediterranean region.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ematurga_atomaria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.