Lepidoptera The Garden Carpet Moth – Melanippe Fluctuata
Our third and last member of this genus is the Garden Carpet-a moth that must be pretty well known to almost everybody, since it is the commonest of all the Geometra that frequent our gardens.
The fore wings are pale grey or brownish, with a patch of dark greyish brown at the base, another larger one on the middle of the costa, and a third near the tip. The wing is usually clouded between the middle blotch and the inner margin, and numerous fine wavy lines, more or less distinct, cross the wing.
This moth may be seen throughout the summer, from May to September, but is most abundant in June and July.
The caterpillar is extremely variable in colour, being either green, brown, or grey, or some intermediate tint; and is marbled and dotted with dark brown on the back. It feeds on the nasturtium (Tropaolum majus), rape (Brassica Napus), and various other cruciferous plants; and may be found from April to August.