Spotted a furry caterpillar undulating across the path in front of you or munching leaves in your garden? Learn to tell your tussocks from your tigers with our quick guide to some common UK species. These caterpillars are a favourite food of cuckoos. This caterpillar is also known as the woolly bear - for good reason! It has a dense coat of long hairs all over its body.

Furry caterpillars are a fascinating type of insect that usually turn into moths. Most types of furry caterpillars feed on the leaves of plants and trees. Although many hairy caterpillars look scary, most are quite harmless. There are some spiky caterpillars that are poisonous and can give you a bee-like sting or cause skin irritation. So, until you identify the exact caterpillar species, you should avoid handling the furry ones without protective gloves.

When it comes to caterpillars, being able to tell your woolly bears from your elephant trunks is key, says David Tomlinson, as he nominates his favourite butterfly and moth larvae. This is usually rather straightforward, as most giant mystery caterpillars turn out to be the offspring of the elephant hawk-moth. Not only are they common and widespread, but they also have a startling appearance. When the caterpillar is alarmed, it retracts its head into its body, its front segments swell and its eye-spots become so prominent that it resembles a small snake, which scares off most predators and fascinates most small children.

Green caterpillars are some of the most commonly recognizable crawling insects in the wild. All types of caterpillars, including green ones, gorge on a diet of plant and tree leaves. Some of the largest and fattest insects in the Lepidoptera order are green caterpillars. Green caterpillars are identified by their size, specific markings, spines or spikes, and plant food they feed on.