Io Moth Caterpillar Stings!

Io Moth Caterpillar (Automeris io), a beautiful creature that feeds on an extensive collection of plants including corn, roses, sassafras, willow, linden, elm, oak, locust, redbud, apple, beech, ash, currant, and clover. Quite the wide variety.

The young caterpillar is orange. As it grows it changes color, and as a mature caterpillar it is bright green with bright green spines. The spines have a very irritating venom that is delivered with the slightest touch. As is the case with many caterpillars, look but don’t touch.

Published by

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.