Head to head
Puss Moth vs Buff-tip
Puss Moth
VS Buff-tip
The puss moth and buff-tip are two European tree-feeding moths from the same broad family, one with an elaborate caterpillar bluff and the other a master of camouflage.
| Puss Moth | Buff-tip | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Cerura vinula | Phalera bucephala |
| Adult moth | Dense, fur-like white and grey hair with black speckles and lines on the wings | Silvery-grey wings wrapped around its body with buff-yellow tips, looking like a snapped-off birch twig |
| Caterpillar | A green caterpillar with a saddle-shaped purple-brown patch, a red head with black false eyes, and two long reddish tails | A yellow-and-black hairy caterpillar that feeds together with others in groups |
| Caterpillar defence | Rears up to show its red false face, waves its whip-like tails, and can spray formic acid from a gland beneath its head | Feeds in groups and can strip a branch of its leaves |
| Caterpillar food | The leaves of willows and poplars | The leaves of trees such as birch, oak, willow, and hazel |
| Pupa | Makes a very hard cocoon from chewed wood fibre stuck to the bark | Burrows into the soil to pupate and spends the winter there as a pupa |
| Habitat | Woodland, river valleys, and wet ground across Europe and temperate Asia | Woodland, hedgerows, and gardens across Europe and temperate Asia |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally, though widespread across a large range | Not Evaluated globally, though widespread and common |
Puss Moth vs Buff-tip: common questions
How does the puss moth caterpillar defend itself?
It rears up to show a red false face, waves two whip-like tails, and can spray formic acid at an attacker.
Why does the buff-tip look like a twig?
Its silvery-grey wings, wrapped around its body with buff-yellow tips, resemble a snapped-off birch twig, hiding it from predators.
Which one lives in groups as a caterpillar?
The buff-tip, whose yellow-and-black caterpillars feed together in groups, while the puss moth caterpillar relies on a false-face bluff and a formic acid spray.