Many of you might know that I love a mystery. Some native, something. A plant, an insect, something without a name. Figure out what it is. THIS was my mystery today. If I had not thumbed through a plethora of nature books since childhood, I would not have even known that this is a caterpillar. But that hint carried me to books with photographs of caterpillars. One of many in my library.

This is the only photograph I have of this critter. I took it in October 2013. And now I know what this is!

This is the larval stage, or caterpillar, of a Crowned Slug Moth Caterpillar (Isa texula). It’s a venomous caterpillar. Look but don’t touch. Caterpillars in this family, Limacodidae, rather than having peg-like legs, mid-body, as most caterpillars have, have suckers, which creates a floating appearance, slug-like, which gives them their common name. They enjoy eating leaves of oak trees but they have a taste for most any hardwood tree. As adults the moth does not eat, but focuses only on reproduction.