Head to head
Garden Tiger Moth vs Isabella Tiger Moth
Garden Tiger Moth
VS Isabella Tiger Moth
The garden tiger moth and Isabella tiger moth are two tiger moths whose hairy woolly bear caterpillars are better known than their adults, one in Europe and one in North America.
| Garden Tiger Moth | Isabella Tiger Moth | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Arctia caja | Pyrrharctia isabella |
| Adult moth | Chocolate-brown forewings blotched with cream, and orange-red hindwings spotted with blue-black | A plain, dull yellowish-orange moth with a few small dark spots |
| Caterpillar | Covered with long, dense dark hairs tipped with reddish-orange, a woolly bear | The fuzzy black-and-reddish-brown woolly bear |
| Caterpillar food | A wide range of low plants such as nettles, docks, and dandelions | Dandelions, plantains, and grasses |
| Winter | The caterpillar hibernates, then feeds again in spring before pupating in a loose cocoon | The caterpillar produces natural compounds that let it survive being frozen nearly solid |
| Adult feeding | The adult does not feed | The adult does not feed at all |
| Range | Grassland, woodland edges, and gardens across Europe, Asia, and North America | Forest, grassland, and garden habitat across most of the United States and southern Canada |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally, though abundance has fallen steeply in Britain | Least Concern, with a stable population |
Garden Tiger Moth vs Isabella Tiger Moth: common questions
Which one has declined?
The garden tiger moth, whose abundance has fallen steeply in Britain over the last half century.
Which caterpillar survives freezing?
The Isabella tiger moth's woolly bear, which produces natural compounds that let it survive being frozen nearly solid.
How does the garden tiger defend itself?
It flashes its orange-red hindwings and can release a frothy, bad-tasting fluid from glands behind its head.