A Strange Looking Caterpillar

A picture from October of a unique looking caterpillar, a Crowned Slug Moth caterpillar (Isa textula). This little one grows to be 1/2 inch long. They eat the leaves of Oaks and Cherry, Maple, Basswood, Elm and Beech trees.

I’ve made it my practice to avoid picking up most any creature that I find in nature. This is a good example of why. See those hairy spikes sticking out all around? This caterpillar’s sting results in itching and great pain. I’m sticking to my policy!

It sure is fun to find unique creatures of nature. I just won’t pick any up.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.