Subject: Spiny caterpillar for ID
Geographic location of the bug: Central Virginia, USA
Date: 09/18/2017
Time: 12:59 PM EDT
Early autumn in Virginia — mid-September
Found this caterpillar on an Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia) plant in my garden
About 1.5 inches long
How you want your letter signed: VirginiaGardenGal
Dear Virginia Garden Gal,
We suspected this to be a Dagger Moth Caterpillar from the genus Acronicta, a large and diverse genus with several spiny caterpillars. We eventually identified your caterpillar as that of a Long Winged Dagger Moth, Acronicta illustris, thanks to this and other BugGuide images. It appears as though this caterpillar might be capable of stinging.
