Red-green Carpet
Chloroclysta siterata
Mated females of this species hibernate through the freezing winter in caves or dense ivy, emerging in spring to lay the next generation.
- Scientific name
- Chloroclysta siterata
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Geometridae › Chloroclysta
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, mature gardens, parks, and scrublands.
- Diet
- Larvae eat deciduous tree leaves (oak, birch, rowan); adults feed on nectar from ivy blossoms and sallow catkins.
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
- Size
- Wingspan of 28 to 36 mm.
- Lifespan
- Up to 1 year (including adult overwintering).
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, intensive forestry, and light pollution which disrupts nocturnal behaviors.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless. If you spot one resting on a tree trunk, observe its remarkable camouflage from a close distance without touching its delicate wings. If it enters a home, gently capture it in a container and release it outside near ivy or trees.
Chloroclysta siterata , the red-green carpet , is a moth in the family Geometridae.
Photo: Jason Grant, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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