This wee beastie fell out of a rowan tree a bit earlier this afternoon while I was doing a bit of pruning. I have an ‘I-Spy butterflies & moths’-type book in the living room, but it doesn’t show caterpillars for all the species that it covers. The nearest I could find makes me think it’s perhaps some sort of hawkmoth species, as several of them also have the little hairy tuft on the rear end. So, any better ideas than that?

Vapourer moth
No.13 on this list
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2021/06/hairy-caterpillar-identification/

Possibly a Pale Tussock

I’m with drac on this one.

But only because I followed Jimw’s link (nice link, thanks) and decided your caterpillar looked much more like no 14, the pale tussock.

Also, I wouldn’t be putting a hairy caterpillar on my hand, the hairs can be very irritating. Could be wrong. I should read the rest of that link.

Yep, indeed, that Pale Tussock is looking like the favourite all round.

@goldfish24 – my hand was mainly for scale, obviously, and anyway they’re are almost capable of out-hairing the caterpillar. A quick google suggests that these caterpillars were a source of irritation to Kentish hop-pickers back in the day, so you’re probably right. Too late now, of course.

Cute little things, I’ve had one in the garden once, but I’ve not seen many.

Cute little things, I’ve had one in the garden once, but I’ve not seen many.

Little bastards just fly away.