Southern Flannel Moth (Puss Caterpillar Moth)

The southern flannel moth belongs to the family Megalopygidae, a small group of moths named for the thick, hair-like scaling that covers both the adult body and wings. Adults are rarely noticed compared to their larvae, which have earned widespread attention (and folk names like "puss caterpillar" or "asp") for their deceptively soft, toupee-like appearance.

The species ranges from the southeastern United States south through Mexico and into parts of Central America, occupying deciduous woodland, parks, and residential landscaping wherever its host trees grow.

Ecologically the moth is unremarkable as an adult, feeding little if at all as it has reduced mouthparts, but its larva is one of the more frequently photographed caterpillars in North America because of its striking camouflage-as-fur appearance.

• Adult: compact, densely hairy moth in shades of pale yellow, tan, or burnt orange, with wavy, indistinct wing markings and a fuzzy thorax that gives it a fur-coated look.
• Larva (puss caterpillar): teardrop-shaped, covered in silky, flowing hair-like setae that conceal stiff venomous spines underneath; hair color ranges from gray-white to reddish brown.
• No obvious eyespots or bold contrast patterns; the moth's camouflage relies on softness and blending rather than bright coloration.
• Lookalikes: other flannel moths and woolly caterpillars, though the puss caterpillar's unusually smooth, wig-like coat is distinctive among North American larvae.

Found from the Carolinas and Gulf states west to Texas and south through Mexico, this species favors deciduous hardwoods such as oak, elm, hackberry, and citrus, along with ornamental shrubs in gardens and parks. Larvae are most often encountered in late summer and fall, resting on leaves or bark, while adults are nocturnal and seen at lights during warmer months. Multiple generations can occur per year in the warmer parts of its range.

Adults are nocturnal, short-lived, and mainly occupied with mating and egg-laying rather than feeding. Larvae feed on the foliage of host trees and shrubs, moving slowly and relying on camouflage and their concealed spines as a defense against predators rather than active flight or fleeing. The species has no known role as a pollinator; ecologically it functions as a leaf-feeding herbivore and, at the larval stage, prey avoided by many birds and predators due to its defensive hairs.

Eggs are laid in clusters on host leaves and hatch into slow-growing larvae that molt several times, changing from a smaller, more slug-like form into the full "puss" appearance as they mature. Mature larvae spin a tough, oval silk cocoon attached to bark or leaf litter in which they pupate. Adults emerge after several weeks, and in warmer regions there may be two or more generations per year, with late-stage larvae or pupae overwintering in cocoons.