What to look for

A large, grey moth with incredibly hairy legs. At rest, the front two legs are stretched straight out in front of the body - a characteristic pose they share with the similar dark tussock. Males have a band of dark shading across the middle of the wings, as well as feathery orange antennae. Females are much larger, with no feathering on their antennae, and have less-heavily patterned wings. Darker forms of pale tussock can sometimes be found, particularly in males.

Although they share the same resting pose as pale tussocks, dark tussocks are easily told apart by the darker colouration, black speckling and orange blotches on the wings. They also fly later in the year, and favour different habitats - preferring heathland, moorland and coastal sites.

Pale tussock caterpillars are even more distinctive. They're bright green or yellow and covered in long hairs that can be yellow, pink or grey. They have a row of four denser tufts of hair on their back, which can be yellow, white or pinkish brown, and a tail-like tuft of red or brown hairs at the end of the body. If the caterpillars are disturbed, they arch their body, revealing jet black patches between the dense tufts on their back.