Monday, February 9, 2009

Giant Leopard Moth??

Yesterday Ryan was cleaning off our back patio and found a little critter hiding in the corner. We first thought he was dead because there was no movement. When Ryan picked him up, he started to curl up into a ball. We put in him in our garden bed to keep him safe from the kids and the dog.

I have been doing some research this morning to figure out what kind of caterpillar it is. The closest I have found is the Giant Leopard Moth or Hypercompe scribonia. Our caterpillar doesn't have any red bands (that we could see)like the Giant Leopard Moth but, it is the closest match. I guess we'll just hav to wait and see!

Even though he looks cuddly soft, Ryan said he was really prickly. I was reading that some are poisonous and can cause skin problems.

2 comments:

Vera said...

He looks cuddly but I wouldn't want him on me,ooooooh.

Anonymous said...

We call those Wooly Worms...they don't hurt you...we always pick them up and check them in the fall as a weather forecast for the winter. Never checked to see what moth/butterfly it turns into. I have seen black, black/red stripes and even a blonde one.