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I'm not kidding. I was putting my tractor back in the shed after cutting some grass and I went to close the door by grabbing the top edge of it and I grabbed a handful of this guy. About 5 seconds later my fingers starting burning like crazy. Normally, I like pain, but I was practically crying. So I went in the house, washed my hand and stuck it in ice. I then went to Google and typed in "Poisonous Caterpillars in Maryland". Sure enough a pic of this guy pops up........it's called a Buck Moth caterpillar. I've played with these guys in the past, but I never let it's spines pierce my skin. It's about 5 hours after I got stung and my hand is still killing me. Feels like I grapped a hot exhaust pipe and held on. Who knew?



regards,
bob

Meant to type "grabbed" a hot exhaust pipe, not "grapped". It's hard to type when you're hand is on fire.



regards,
bob

That looks like a mobile cactus!
Gary

Gary,
We used to have saddle back caterpillars around where I grew up, those suckers would sting too. Looks like they may be relatives. I'm surprised I didn't get bitten by any of the black widows that used to live in the truck. Is the hand better now?

Andy

Hi Andy,

It still hurts, but it's manageable. Where the needles pierced my skin I've got red bumps with a dark dot in the center. Really only hurts bad when I touch something warm, like a cup of coffee. We've got nice sized Black Widows around here, but I know where to find them. I've played with them a lot but never handle them directly. Mother Nature......you gotta love her!



regards,
bob

Man that thing looks wicked. I hope your hand is better with no ill effects.
I am getting used to the new insect species down here in NC this summer. Very different from Ohio. Some of it looks like it is from Land of the Lost...there are moths here with the wingspan of a small bird. And those Dobson flies...yikes