Recent Sightings in Nature

     My son sent me this picture of a caterpillar from his yard.  So here is what it is.  It is a white-marked tussock moth caterpillar.  They are found feeding on deciduous and conifer trees.  They are common in late summer when the activity of other caterpillars is declining.  This caterpillar's habitat is in the wooded areas of the Eastern United States and southern Canada over to Texas.  As is a standard in handling caterpillars...the nicer a caterpillar appear the more dangerous it is. The more dangerous it looks, it is no problem to handle it.

     This hair of this docile-looking caterpillar's hair can cause allergic reactions and irritation on the skin.  (This information from Southern Meadows website, and the photo by Michael Nelson Thoerig.)

     Now this evil and dangerous looking caterpillar is called the hickory horned devil  moth caterpillar.  It feeds on the leaves of hickory, walnut, butternut, sumac, persimmon, sweetgum, ash, and sycamore tree during the  summer.  This caterpillar is not a pest but it is nocturnal to avoid several species of predatory wasps.  Its cocoon can be found on leaves or on the ground in a sheltered location.  (Information from extension.missouri.edu from the University of Missouri) and (entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures from the University of Florida)  It looks dangerous but you can hold it in your hand.  It is big from 4-5 inches long and a dull green color from my observations.

     Now this caterpillar is a different story.  I found several of these as I was cutting the sweet corn stalks.  It is around an inch long (2.5 cm).  This saddleback caterpillar is as nasty as it looks.  Its appearance matches the stings it gives.  I got stung in one finger and it lasted for several hours like a bee sting. For me there was no redness and no swelling. Its habitat is the eastern United States.  It also feeds on a wide varied of plants. Picture by Michael B Thoerig.