The Buff-tip Moth's shape and colouring helps it blend into background of twigs.
Nature on our doorsteps: Moth camouflage
Rosaleen Dwyer is the County Heritage Officer at South Dublin County Council – every week she gives us an insight into the natural heritage around us and the beautiful biodiversity of the plants and creatures
Many insects use camouflage to help protect them from predators, and one interesting example is the Buff-tip Moth.
This is a night-flying moth, and during the day it relies on a combination of its colouring and shape to help it blend into the background and avoid being seen by predators.
This is a relatively large moth, with a wingspan of 5-7cm, and it is in flight between May and early August.
Its caterpillars can be seen between June and September.
When it is at rest during the day, the adult moth holds its silvery grey wings tightly against its body in a tube-like shape.
There is a patch of beige, or buff-colour, at the tip of its wings and at its head.
Together, its shape and its colouring make it look like a broken twig, and this combination is very effective in helping it to almost disappear into surrounding vegetation.
The moth’s hind wings are creamy white in colour, and these are folded away tightly under the coloured forewings when it is at rest.
The Buff-tip Moth’s shape and colouring makes it look like a broken twig
The Buff-tip’s caterpillars feed on the leaves of trees like Birch, Willow, and Hawthorn. They also use colour to protect themselves, and their striking yellow and black patterning helps to warn off potential predators.
For added protection, the young caterpillars stay together in a group until they are almost mature.
They then disperse from one another for the final phase of their growth, before burying into the soil to form their overwintering pupa.
They will then emerge the following spring as a new adult.
Adult Buff-tip Moths do not feed, as they do not have the necessary mouthparts.
They exist by using up the energy reserves that they stored up when they fed as a caterpillar. For this reason adults live for only a few weeks, just long enough to find a mate and lay eggs.
The Buff-tip occurs in a wide variety of habitats including open woodland, hedgerows, and urban gardens with trees.
It can sometimes be drawn to light in houses.
