What’s FUZZY, YELLOW, ORANGE and BLACK?

Saturday, July 13, 2013


My daughter and I were enjoying a chat and sipping iced tea when we noticed this tiny little caterpillar crawling across the porch.  These pictures were taken on macro and I was very close up, he is tiny.

Tussock Moth Caterpillar 5


Of course I had to fetch my camera and took these pictures while it was feasting on some crepe myrtle blooms.

Tussock Moth Caterpillar 3


After a little research I found that this furry little thing is actually a Tussock Moth Caterpillar.


He will ultimately turn into a lymantriid; a dull-colored moth whose larvae have tufts of hair on the body and feed on the leaves of many deciduous trees.

White-marked tussock Moth
Some species have four clumps of bristles on their backs which give them the appearance of a toothbrush.  Some have longer tufts near the head and rear.  If you touch one of these furry little caterpillars you will feel like you’ve been working with fiberglass…you’ll itch!  Some can leave you with a nagging rash…so look and don’t touch!

He must like our porch; he's been hanging around for days!

Here’s looking at YOU!

  Tussock Moth Caterpillar 4   

Blessings,
Cindy

Join us each week for AMAZE ME MONDAY!

16 comments:

  1. Good morning Cindy!
    How colourful! I've never seen these little guys. I don't think Id like the feeling of touching fiberglass though. Its amazing though how they turn into winged creatures!
    Have a great weekend...I need to grab a coffee ;)

    All my heart,
    Deborah xoxo

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  2. That's such a beautiful little caterpillar. So glad you shared it with us. Lynda

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  3. So bright and colorful! :) Wonderful photos! :)

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  4. Morning Cindy,
    I, like you and your daughter are intrigued by creatures like that. When we were kids we used to have a tree in our back yard that had these beautiful worms that look like caterpillars at least, they were lime green, yellow with a black stripe down their back and we used to
    play with them, someone said they were called a Katawba worm. They were really pretty for a worm, lol. I probably wouldn't play with them
    now, but would love to watch them. lol
    Your caterpillar is very different and colorful.
    Don't you just love that you can look these things up on the computer.............and actually find out what they are instead of just
    wondering! Love that!

    Hope you have a wonderful and intriguing weekend!!
    Blessings, Nellie

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  5. I am a tad weirded out. lol My brother was terribly allergic to any kind of caterpillar and would break out in a terrible rash if he touched one- so I have always steered clear. However, I do admire your photographs and research on them. It's amazing that as colorful as he is in that form that he takes on such a dull appearance as a moth, isn't it? xo Diana

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  6. These are some beautiful photos, Cindy! What a pretty little critter. We used to pick up caterpillars all the time when I was a little girl...I didn't know that some could nip, so that didn't last long! lol!

    XO,
    Jane

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  7. As long as something isn't trying to crawl ON me, I'm very intrigued by even the creepiest of crawly creatures. Great catch, Cindy!

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  8. These are terrific macro photos, Cindy!! I'm not always successful with those, I'm afraid. :) This is an intriguing and colorful caterpillar, but I'd definitely be leery about touching it. I think it's wonderful that you take the time to enjoy the simple joys of God's beautiful creations with your daughter! I always loved doing things like that with our son. My favorite kind of crawly bugs are inch worms. I just adore the way they move themselves along. :)

    Thanks for sharing -- I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

    Denise

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  9. You did an excellent job capturing that little fellow in all the details. I try using my macro, but never turns out this good.

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  10. That is amazing! It looks a wooly bugger you would go fishing with! hahaha! Very neat photos!

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  11. Thank you so much for your kind comment. Hope to see you again at Amaze Me Monday...such a great party you host each week. Have a nice evening.
    FABBY

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  12. Cindy,
    Okay, I am both intrigued and interested as I have NEVER seen anything like that!! How cool is that!!

    Thanks so much for visiting!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  13. Lovely pictures. Isn't it fun how different it will look after the metamorphosis?

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  14. I think he's very cute, actually, it is so unique looking. So colorful, it looks like a cartoon character. Take care - Dawn

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  15. I just found one on my porch. My granddaughter was amazed by it. We look it up an found this site. Thank for letting us know what type of calepeller it was,glad I said don't touch it to my granddaughter. Have a nice week.

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  16. My house and cars get covered in these guys every year. Very annoying. And not all of them change. Most of the time, they die in the cocoons too. Atleast on my property they seem to.

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