Common Buckeye vs Pine Processionary

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Buckeye Pine Processionary
Scientific Name Junonia coenia Thaumetopoea pityocampa
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Nymphalidae Notodontidae
Size 42-55 mm wingspan 36-42 mm wingspan
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Forests
Diet Predators Omnivores
Regions North America, Central America Southern Europe, North Africa, Middle East
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Buckeye

Brown butterfly with prominent eyespots on all four wings. Eyespots deter predators by mimicking the eyes of larger animals.

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Did You Know?

Their large eyespots have been shown to startle birds into abandoning attacks.

Pine Processionary

A grey moth whose caterpillars march in long nose-to-tail processions between their silk nests and feeding sites. The larvae's urticating hairs cause severe allergic reactions.

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Did You Know?

Jean-Henri Fabre once tricked a procession into following itself in a circle for seven days without stopping.