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April 7, 2019 8:27 PM

Caterpillars – the shapes and sizes that they come in and for many the urge to touch, pick up and hold is almost irresistible. Yet although most butterfly and moth larvae are quite harmless, preferring to curl up in a ball when threatened, some will make it quite plain that they do not like to be touched. They will sting: here is a selection of the stinging caterpillars of the United States.

posted by Johnny Wallflower (27 comments total)

Most of those caterpillars are very honest. You cannot say they do not make it obvious that they are pointy and painful.
posted by tavella at 8:39 PM on April 7, 2019 [8 favorites]

A couple of them don't look evil. So fluffy!

Once I learned that wolley worms could sting, which there were a lot of where I grew up, I've avoided fondeling caterpillars.

They're bugs...
posted by Windopaene at 8:47 PM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

Ha. This is why caterpillars have always been squicky to me (I mean, beautiful to look at, but an insect I'm not interested in touching or handling, and I'm fine with most bugs).

"Fair warning," as they say.

Let’s return finally to the White Flannel Moth (Megalopyge crispata). Although it looks harmless enough this caterpillar will hurt – badly – as the photographer involved discovered when he picked one up. A good rule of thumb is if a caterpillar looks spiny, spiky or furry, do not pick it up as it most likely able to sting you.

This one is the one I would most definitely have assumed was not stingy because it's so tribble-like.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:49 PM on April 7, 2019

Yeah, a Star-Trek raised child would grab one of those in a second..
posted by Windopaene at 8:52 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

I stand corrected. The white flannel moth is more Fizzgig-like. It's the southern flannel moth that's more tribble-like.

In any case, it's a good thing that these don't also scream.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:53 PM on April 7, 2019

Ah yes, an asp. We children quickly learned to differentiate them...
posted by jim in austin at 8:54 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

I vividly remember being young and having my plans for a carefree summer day quickly ruined by an asp (puss caterpillar). I'd rather stick my hand in a bucket full of angry wasps than brush against one of those little demons again.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 9:01 PM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

thanks i hate it
posted by lalochezia at 9:03 PM on April 7, 2019 [14 favorites]

Next I am sure we will get an FPP on the charming habits of wasps.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:05 PM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

I appreciate the pictures but that was a really poorly written/researched article. For a much more informative run down of these splendid beasts check out this Mother Nature Network piece.
posted by freya_lamb at 11:20 PM on April 7, 2019 [4 favorites]

I find it easy to resist picking up caterpillars - or gawkly-gawklies as I used to call them.
posted by Cranberry at 12:57 AM on April 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

I was surprised to see a wooly bear caterpillar a few days ago. Then, today, I was surprised to see the president's comb-over on the linked page.

Life is full of surprises.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 2:31 AM on April 8, 2019 [4 favorites]

for many the urge to touch, pick up and hold is almost irresistible
Is that really a thing? Many people see a fluffly caterpillar and have an irresistible urge to pick it up? I love bugs but I don't pick them up unless they show a certain willingness to be picked up.
posted by elgilito at 3:06 AM on April 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

Count me among those who love to pick up caterpillars; this despite a painful encounter with a saddleback caterpillar when I was about 9 or 10. Some 45 years later I can still point out the dogwood tree it was on in my parents’ yard.

Woolly bears on the other hand, are pretty much harmless, although their prowess as weather forecasters is about the same as that of the groundhog.
posted by TedW at 3:54 AM on April 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Stinging cat-apillars.... I see what you did there.... more propaganda from big dog. A true Johnny Wallflower post.
posted by mightshould at 4:13 AM on April 8, 2019 [4 favorites]

The Donald Trump hair caterpillar: "this is the most dangerous stinging caterpillar in the US."

Yep.
posted by pangolin party at 4:48 AM on April 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

There is some high drama going on in the comments on that page. I suspect some of the people just got stung and quickly turned to Google to figure out what the hell happened!
posted by evelvenin at 5:26 AM on April 8, 2019

The Buck Moth caterpillar looks like something from Hell or maybe Outer Space.
posted by A Bad Catholic at 5:41 AM on April 8, 2019

Yeah, I got tagged by a Saddleback while doing some pruning a few years ago, and it really did hurt like the dickens. Still waiting to develop my caterpillar-based superpowers.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:46 AM on April 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Next I am sure we will get an FPP on the charming habits of wasps.
Isn't that like half of them?

I kid, but if you mean the insect I would totally read that and I just straight up don't understand anyone who wouldn't, but would comment on this one. It's like we're from different planets or something.
posted by aspersioncast at 6:48 AM on April 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

I accidentally touched an Io moth caterpillar a few years back. It hurt for about two hours, and itched ferociously for about four more. Did Not like.
posted by JohnFromGR at 6:57 AM on April 8, 2019

On my very first visit to New Orleans, I saw what I think was the Spiny Elm Caterpillar on the sidewalk and reached down to rescue it.

"Don't !" A voice cried. It was older black gentleman who had paused trimming his hedges to warn me. "That there will give you the fever."

At the time I knew enough to listen to warnings from older black gentlemen, but remember thinking that "It's only a caterpillar, they don't hurt people."

Thank you, kind sir, for keeping me from learning the hard way.
posted by CatastropheWaitress at 8:50 AM on April 8, 2019 [8 favorites]

I should probably stop picking up random caterpillars. Around here they seem mostly harmless, just like just about everything else. To be fair though I'm often finding them already on me for some reason.

Next I am sure we will get an FPP on the charming habits of wasps.

Cool! Then I can tell my story about the first time I met a Tarantula Hawk. I thought a helicopter was approaching and getting ready to land.

When I saw that bird-sized wasp I ran away so fast I red shifted. If the premise of Monsters, Inc were real, my uncharacteristically piercing shriek and scream would have powered all of North America for a week.

For shriek calibration purposes, earlier that week I had a diamond back rattle snake encounter and strike attempt while riding a bike through grass that only elicited a hearty "WOAH SHIT HOWDY" and no involuntary or voluntary shrieking of any kind.
posted by loquacious at 10:15 AM on April 8, 2019 [7 favorites]

Being born and raised in Texas leaves me puzzled by those of you who are tempted to pick up any of these critters or random caterpillars in general! I got taught early that it's either gonna bite ya or sting ya, so let it go on its merry way.* Those black asp caterpillars still get a wide berth from me. I love watching them but I've got a healthy fear. I bet there's some Australians in here feeling the same way.

*Unless it's a venomous snake, and then if you're old enough and it's safe to, kill it and don't lose any sleep over it. Rattlers are too dangerous to let live around your house.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:47 PM on April 8, 2019

loquacious, I live in fear of seeing a cicada-killer wasp. I think I'll probably faint if I ever do and the wasp will carry me off.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:48 PM on April 8, 2019

In nature, anything non-mammalian that has fur on it or is otherwise fuzzy or covered in little spikes, don't touch it. There's even a saying: "If it's brown pet its down, if it's spiky you'll no likey."
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:06 PM on April 8, 2019 [3 favorites]

That first one? I took a picture of it. I'm glad I didn't try to pose it.
posted by acrasis at 3:23 PM on April 8, 2019 [2 favorites]