Subject: what the heck is this?
Location: Dunedin, Florida
May 5, 2013 6:07 pm
This was on the wall outside my apartment door. I thought it was a caterpillar or moth or something that was going to kill me….can you tell me what it is? And if you can, I hope you don’t mind if I post it on facebook so others can know about your site. Thanks!
Signature: Carol Borrelli

Subject: What’s that bug?
Location: Dunedin, Florida
May 5, 2013 8:20 pm
Dear bugman,
Earlier today, we had a caterpillar sitting for hour on the exterior wall next to our apartment’s door. I eventually scooted a piece of paper underneath it and repatriated it to the front of the building, primarily to appease my wife and also to protect it from other tenants smashing it.  Nevertheless, I am curious what it was that we saw there.
Thank you very much for your time and effort,
Roland
Signature: Roland

Southern Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Dear Carol and Roland,
We are guessing from your combined requests that you are a married couple.  We think it is sweet that you each contacted us, and in an odd way, it reminds us of the “Starbucks scene” in Best in Show where Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock meet at Starbucks, but at different Starbucks across the street from one another.  This is a Southern Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Dasychira meridionalis, or another member of the genus, and you can compare your caterpillar to this photo from BugGuide.  Some Tussock Moth Caterpillars have irritating hairs, but we are not certain if this is one of those species.

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Subject: Western Tussock Moth Caterpillar?
Location: Jamul, California
February 8, 2013 5:33 pm
I found this last spring (May 20) in the mountains west of San Diego, CA. I think I have successfully found it online, though it’s hard to differentiate between the Douglas Fir Tussock and the Western Tussock. He was crawling along when I scooped him up with an oak leaf, and then he got into a defensive position. The terrain is mountainous, dry, with lots of oak trees. I let him go on his way afterward, of course.
Signature: Ryan

Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Hi Ryan,
We got as far as formatting your query for posting, but we cannot do any research until the morning.  Perhaps one of our readers has insomnia and there will magically be a comment in the morning.  We can only commit to agreeing that this is a Tussock Moth Caterpillar in a genus that might be spelled Orgyia.

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Subject: caterpillar
Location: Manassas, VA
September 30, 2012 11:55 am
Two years in a row I found this in my back yard, but have never seen one before. Can you ID this?
Signature: Brent in Manassas, VA

White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Hi Brent,
This is the caterpillar of the White Marked Tussock Moth.  BugGuide warns:  “CAUTION: Avoid handling the caterpillar, as its hair is known to cause allergic reactions, especially in areas of the body with sensitive skin (e.g. back, stomach, inner arms). Seek medical treatment if a severe reaction occurs.”

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I don’t have enough band width to search all your caterpillars
Location: Southern shore of Lake Ontario, upstate New York
January 5, 2012 12:40 am
I took this picture of this beautiful creature on one of my feed buckets on August 27th in upstate New York near lake Ontario. I checked on him for three days before he moved on to where ever he wanted to go. I took back the bucket after I checked the bottom to make sure he had not moved to the bottom or under the bucket. I tried to find him on your site but have limited bandwidth and you have A LOT of caterpillars!
Thank you for having a look.
Signature: Respectfully, Nancy

Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Hi Nancy,
Searching through our extensive archive can be quite daunting if you don’t know where to begin.  This is a White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Orgyia leucostigma, a wide ranging species in the entire eastern portion of North America as far west as Texas.  The caterpillars feed on a wide variety of trees and shrubs including “apple, birch, black locust, cherry, elm, hackberry, hickory, oak, rose, willow…fir, hemlock, larch, spruce and other conifers” according to BugGuide.  You should exert caution handling this caterpillar because contact with the hairs may cause an allergic reaction.  Female moths are flightless.

Thank you so much. I will share this information with my facebook
friends who wanted to know as well. And I try to never touch a bug as
they go about their day. I don’t know which parts are fragile and I
don’t want to break them. If in danger I will let them walk on to a
sheet of paper and put them somewhere near that is safer.
Respectfully,
Nancy

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I do not know what this is
Location: DeKalb Illinois
October 30, 2011 10:51 pm
I was sitting at a table outside on my schools campus when I looked down at my arm and this thing was climbing up my arm. I have no idea what it is and cannot find any sort of description of it.
Signature: Desmond Wafers

White Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Hi Desmond,
This caterpillar is a White Marked Tussock Moth or Rusty Vapor Moth, Orgyia leucostigma.  The caterpillars from this genus are quite distinctive and they should be handled with care.  According to BugGuide:  “CAUTION:  Contact with hairs may cause an allergic reaction.”

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