Floridian Black Caterpillar.
Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 2:41 PM
Hello Mr.Bugman, let me start by saying how very much I appreciate your work. I have a very limited knowledge of bugs, but this site has taught me much. I used to have a serious, very serious phobia of all bugs. But you have taught me to turn my fear into curiosity, and for that, I thank you.
I found this little guy out side my house, on the porch. We live in Northern Florida, in Milton, USA. This picture was taken in December, and the weather was about 20 degrees, and it had just rained. I was worried about this caterpillar, but because I feared I might harm him, I did not touch him. I checked and did not see this type of caterpillar on your site, so I do not know what species he is. Thank you for your time, it is very appreciated!
Much Love, Nick from Florida.
Nick L.
Milton, Florida, USA
Woolly Bear
Hi Nick,
Your caterpillar is a Woolly Bear, the caterpillar of a Tiger Moth. We can’t be more specific than the subfamily Arctiidae.
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That looks like the caterpillar of a Giant Leopard Moth- Ecpantheria scribonia. Usually you can see red rings around it when it is curled up, but that picture is dark so it is hard to tell for sure. I have a pic of an adult I can send, if there isn’t one on the site already. The adults are beautiful.