Pale prominent
The pale prominent is a moth that looks exactly like a splinter of wood. It has a long, pointy face and a tufted tail, so it seems stretched out. Resting on a tree, it is almost impossible to spot.
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Fun facts
It likes to rest on poplar or willow bark where the pale wood shows through, because it has the same colour.
Its caterpillar is bluish green with white lines and a yellow stripe along its side.
It spends the winter as a pupa.
In central Europe it has two families a year, but in the north only one.
Most asked questions about Pale prominent
?Why does the pale prominent look like wood?
Its colour and wing pattern make it look like a broken splinter, which hides it from birds.
?What does the pale prominent caterpillar eat?
Leaves of willow and poplar trees.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Pterostoma palpina
- Named by
- Clerck, 1759
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Notodontidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Notodontidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Africa, Asia
Where the facts come from
- Pterostoma palpina (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by unknown author. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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