The wingspan is 28–36 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is greyish green, with a reddish tinge. The central band is dark and may be replaced by dark wavy crosslines. The forewings have a pointed shape. This is a very variable species. The larva is very long and slender, the thorax slightly less thin, the anal points well developed. It is green, the thorax with a red dorsal line, abdomen with a red dorsal spot on each segment, the legs and anal points tipped with red. The pupa is slender, yellow-brown with a delicate purple bloom, dotted with black; cremaster darker.[1][2]
Figs. 6,6a,6b larvae in various stages
Similar species: Adults are similar in appearance to the autumn green carpet (Chloroclysta miata) but C. miata has a pale central band, grey hindwings and no red tinge.
^Prout, L. B. (1912–16). Geometridae. In A. Seitz (ed.) The Macrolepidoptera of the World. The Palaearctic Geometridae, 4. 479 pp. Alfred Kernen, Stuttgart.pdf
^Jaan Viidalepp
and Axel Hausmann, 2013 In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): The Geometrid Moths of Europe. 1. Auflage. Volume 3: Larentiinae I. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2013, ISBN|978-90-04-26097-9
