Species Details

ABH: 70.082

BF: 1771

Family: Geometridae

Subfamily: Larentiinae

Taxon: Thera juniperata

=Thera juniperata juniperata

=Thera juniperata orcadensis

=Thera juniperata scotica

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular: Juniper Carpet

Account: Common on chalk downland and in gardens, in much of southern England, North Wales and Cumbria, less commonly on moorland in upland areas of Scotland. Since the 1960s increasingly reported on cultivated juniper species in gardens throughout much of England and Wales The main confusion species is Cypress Carpet T. cupressata, but Juniper Carpet lacks the series of darks streaks near the apex of the forewing. Larva feeds on Juniper, especially Prostrate Juniper in upland areas, over-wintering as an egg.

Accounts provided by and used with the kind permission of Mike Wall, Hampshire County Moth Recorder. These will in due course be gradually replaced with species accounts with a Surrey context.

Wingspan: 26 — 29 mm

Surrey Flight Period: 12 Oct (1997) — 13 Nov (1955)

The flight period of overwintering adults are not given. See the flight chart below the distribution map.

Foodplant: Juniperus sp.

Foodplant accounts are from the HOSTS database — Natural History Museum, London, UK. (CC0).

Status: Least Concern (LC)

UK BAP:

WCA:

Click here to view the full geology map of Surrey.

Verification Grade: 1 — Relatively easily identified 👌

Further Information: https://www.ukmoths.org.uk/species/thera-juniperata/

Statistics

* Based on adult records only.

Records: 44

Individuals: 153

Earliest Year: 1832

Latest Year: 1997

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