Buff Button vs Coastal Ragweed

Acleris permutana compared with Ambrosia hispida

Key Differences

• Buff Button is Vulnerable while Coastal Ragweed is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff Button	Coastal Ragweed
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (แมลง)	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)
Order	Lepidoptera (ผีเสื้อ)	Asterales (อันดับทานตะวัน)
Family	Tortricidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Acleris	Ambrosia
Species	Acleris permutana	Ambrosia hispida

Conservation Status

Buff Button

VU — Vulnerable

Coastal Ragweed

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff Button	Coastal Ragweed
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buff Button

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Coastal Ragweed

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Cuba.

Buff Button

The Buff Button (Acleris permutana) is a species in the genus Acleris. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Coastal Ragweed

Coastal ragweed (Ambrosia hispida) is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, native to the coastal dunes, sandy beaches, and cays of Cuba, the Bahamas, and the wider Caribbean region. It grows in pioneer beach and dune vegetation, often forming spreading colonies that help stabilise loose coastal sands. Like other members of the genus Ambrosia, it bears inconspicuous greenish-white flowers arranged in racemes; male flower heads produce wind-dispersed pollen that can trigger allergic rhinitis in sensitive individuals. The deeply lobed, hispid leaves are adapted to reflect intense solar radiation and tolerate salt spray. Coastal ragweed plays an ecological role in early dune succession, binding sand and enabling other plant species to establish. The genus is widespread globally, with several Ambrosia species considered noxious weeds in agricultural settings, though Ambrosia hispida is restricted to its native Caribbean coastal range. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern, reflecting adequate population size across its Caribbean coastal distribution. Pressure from coastal development and tourism infrastructure poses a localised threat to dune communities it inhabits.