caterpillar. It was on the eve of my front porch this afternoon. I think it is cute. Shame it makes such an ugly moth
Definite Tussock moth
I know I think all of the tussock types are soo cute. I pretty much leave them alone since they usually stay in the trees and don't cause too much damage. Every once in a while though they seem to be extremly abundant and fall from the trees by the thousands and devour everything in their path.
eeewwwwwwww!!!! don't think I want to see that many
We do cringe at the nursery when we get that many :)
Do they sting if you touch them?
I don't know and don't think I'm willing to find out lol
I'm still amazed at the many different kinds of cats and all their strange little costumes!
I have alot of those this year to. Thanks for letting us know what it was, I was afraid they might be of the STINGING kind.........do they??
NO, the Tussucks don't sting. There are actually only a few cats that do sting. the most common onesin our area are the saddle back and the IO moth cats. The IO moths are pretty and I leave them alone (move them on a stick or in a jar. The saddlebacks I confess I kill, I am highly allergic so... The tussocks are actually very soft to the touch.
I just raised a tussock cat from the 1st instar when I found him. Although they dont sting, many people are allergic to their "tusks". I was fortunate not to be, He was the sweetest little guy. I miss him, but i raised him all the way on my mint plant where I found him. Here is a 2nd instar pic since the 1st instar he is not recognizable at all.
