Subject: Caterpillar
Geographic location of the bug: Upstate New York
Date: 08/23/2018
Time: 09:34 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I’m having trouble identifying this caterpillar…
How you want your letter signed: Katy
Dear Katy,
This distinctive caterpillar is an Io Moth Caterpillar, and it should be handled with caution as it has stinging spines. The adult Io moth is sexually dimorphic, with male Io Moths having yellow upper wings while those of the female Io Moth are brown. Both sexes have pronounced eye-spots on the underwings that might help to startle predators.