You might see some huge caterpillars around at the moment. I encountered the 8cm (3in) caterpillar of a goat moth at the Goldsworth Park Centre last week, which gave me the idea to write about some large caterpillars we might see in our area.

A caterpillar is the larval stage of a moth or butterfly – the second part of their four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, pupa and finally adult moth or butterfly.

The goat moth caterpillar, mentioned above, is orange with a pink back, and has a brown “horn” on its head. It has a “goaty” odour, hence the moth’s English name.

The caterpillars burrow into the trunks of various deciduous trees and feed on the wood. As the food takes a long time to digest, the larvae live for four to five years before pupating. The adult moth that emerges the following spring is also large, with a wingspan of up to 9.6cm (3.7 in).

Another large caterpillar – up to 8.5 cm (3.3 in) in length – is that of the elephant hawk-moth, named because its caterpillar looks like an elephant’s trunk. It is greyish brown (but sometimes green) with two pairs of enormous black eyespots towards the head.

When disturbed, it swells up to emphasise the eyespots and so scares off predators. It is seen from June to September, often where rosebay willowherb is found. The adult elephant hawk-moth has pretty gold and pink markings and a wingspan from 4.5–6 cm (1.7–2.3 in).

The privet hawk-moth’s caterpillar is also up to 8.5cm (3.3 cm) long, bright green with lilac and white stripes along the side, and a curved black “horn” at the rear. It is found from July to September and feeds on privet, lilac and ash.

The adult moth is big, with a wingspan from 9–12cm (3.5–4.7in) and distinctive pink and black bars along its body; it flies at night from July to September.

Garden tiger moth caterpillars are extremely hairy, so nicknamed "woolly bears". They grow up to 6cm (2.4in) long with a body that’s orange below, black above, with lines of white spots and very long grey/black hairs. They are seen from August until the following June. The adult moth flies in July and August, with a wingspan from 4.5–6.5cm (1.8 to 2.6in).

When resting naturally it shows its forewings, which have a complex dark brown and white pattern. If threatened, it opens its forewings to display bold red hindwings with dark blue spots as a warning it is distasteful. (The Jersey tiger moth, increasingly seen in our area, does the same.)

Caterpillars of the puss moth grow to about 8cm (3.1in) in length. Newly hatched caterpillars are tiny and black, with two long, whip-like tails. Older caterpillars are plump and green. The head is surrounded by a pink patch, with false eyes making it look like a giant face. They still have two thin tails.

The caterpillars are seen from June to September and feed on poplars and willows. Adult puss moths look very fluffy: the legs and body are covered in dense white hair and even the wings look furry – hence their name.

If you spot any spectacularly large or otherwise distinctive caterpillars please let us know at the News & Mail, especially if you manage to take a photo!