It’s been cold in North Carolina recently. REALLY cold as far as this Arizona gal is concerned! It somehow seems appropriate that one of the most recent insects sightings I’ve made was already wearing a downy coat:
American dagger moth caterpillar
That’s Acronicta americana, the American dagger moth. Pretty cute little guy, but if you follow Brigette Zacharczenko’s fabulous Caterpillar Blog, you’ve learned that many of the Acronicta species have tiny stinging hairs hidden down in that fluff. I tend to assume the worst and leave all fuzzy caterpillars alone, so I just watched this little guy inch its way down the tree and marveled at how fuzzy it was.
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The Dragonfly Woman 
I’ve seen some similar to those over here, but they’re more orange and silver, yes silver, in their fur. I wouldn’t touch them or get near them.
You know, by and large the fuzzy caterpillars aren’t harmful. I, however, don’t know enough about which ones are stingers and which ones are not to know what I’m getting myself into, so I leave everything alone. I’m paranoid really, but I have very sensitive skin and I’d rather not touch something than risk that I’ve chosen to handle something that’s going to make my itchy for several days.
:-)
Wonderful picture! What a beautiful shot and what an interesting creature. I never cease to marvel at the beauty of all the little animals in this word, so essential and so delicate. Thanks for sharing your art.
Glad you like the caterpillar! I think it’s adorable.
Thanks for the warning! This bug definitely makes people wanna hold it, its important to know about the tiny stingers.
Well, many people might not react to them at all, so they’re not really dangerous per se. People who have sensitive skin are likely to just get a minor, itchy rash for a few days. Even if you DO get stung and react, the effects should be minor. I don’t really want to scare people into thinking these are dangerous! I just have super sensitive skin and I like to avoid anything that might make me itchy because me being itchy is a very bad thing.
lovely!
Thank you!