About

Puss moths are so fluffy they were named after pussycats! Their legs and body are covered in dense white hair and even the wings look furry. They can be found across most of the UK, in a wide variety of habitats, including parks and gardens - as long as there are poplars or willows for the caterpillars to feed on.

The adult moths fly at night between May and July, when they can be attracted to lights. Females lay their orange-brown eggs on the upper surface of a willow or poplar leaf, either singly or in clusters of two or three. When the tiny dark brown caterpillars emerge, they have two long tails that they raise to scare off predators.

The caterpillars quickly grow into fat, green creatures with a red face featuring two false eyes. They keep the tails for scaring predators, but if that doesn't work they have a secret weapon - they can squirt formic acid at their attacker. When they're fully fed, the caterpillars wander in search of a place to pupate. They use their strong jaws to chew up bark, mixing it with silk to create a tough cocoon on a tree trunk. They spend the winter as a pupa, inside their cocoon, before emerging in spring - though they sometimes remain in this state for two winters.