Waved carpet moth  (Hydrelia sylvata)

Classified as Nationally Scarce in Great Britain (2).

Adult Waved Carpet moths have pale whitish-grey coloured wings with wavy brown patterning (3). A darker dusky-brown form also occurs in Kent and Sussex (1). The caterpillar is purplish-brown in colour becoming greenish towards the sides (4).

A very local species in the UK, the Waved Carpet is found in five main locations: Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, the borders of Hampshire Sussex and Surrey, Kent and East Sussex, and Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire. It is also occasionally reported from Wales and Cumbria. It is believed to be in decline in many parts of its European range (2).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

The main habitats for this species are alder woodland and chestnut coppice. The caterpillars also feed on birch and sallow trees (5).

This moth is single-brooded, the adults fly in June and July and the caterpillars are present in July and August. The overwintering stage is the pupa(1).

This species may have suffered because the decline in traditional coppice management has resulted in a loss of young regrowth. However, populations appear to be stable in western Britain (5).

The Waved Carpet is a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP). The plan aims to enhance the size of all known populations by the year 2010. Coppice for Butterflies, an initiative of the Forestry Commission has focused on five areas where the Waved Carpet occurs. A number of the current populations occur within nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) (2).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan for this species is available at UK BAP.

Further reading on moths:
Skinner, B. (1998) Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles. Viking Press, London.
Leverton, R. (2001) Enjoying moths. Poyser, London.