About

Brown-tail moths are found in coastal habitats and hedgerows and scrubby areas inland, sometimes including parks and gardens. As the name suggests, their most distinctive feature is a dark brown tip to the abdomen. The hairs of the caterpillars cause irritation to human skin, so they shouldn't be touched (they're known as urticating hairs).

The strikingly-white adults take to the wing in summer, though there is sometimes a partial second generation of adults that emerges in October. They fly at night when they can be attracted to lights. Females lay clusters of eggs on the caterpillar's foodplant - hawthorn, blackthorn, bramble, sea-buckthorn and other trees and shrubs. They cover the eggs with shed brown hairs from the end of their abdomen.

Once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars create a dense web of silk, covering part of the plant. They live communally inside this web, feeding on leaves. In autumn, the small caterpillars form tougher silk tents where they spend the winter together. They stir again in spring to continue feeding, and can often be seen basking on the outside of the web. Larger caterpillars start to wander before pupating, when they can be found feeding singly on a wider variety of plants. They pupate amongst twigs and leaves, wrapped in a cocoon made from silk and hairs.