Stand Back!

Sometimes it is okay to touch fuzzy things.

Common mullein leaves are soft and fuzzy

Sometimes it is not okay.

Hickory Tussock moth caterpillars look soft and fuzzy but are not!

The Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar (Lophocampa caryae) is covered with both long and short hairs.  Be careful of both.  The short hairs are barbed and will break off in your skin, causing your skin to itch.  The long hairs (sometimes called lashes) are hollow and connected to poison glands.  If you touch one of these, the hollow hairs will pierce your skin and introduce the poison into your body!  It quickly causes an itch burning sensation that is similar to sting of a nettle.  Some people can have severe reactions that may require a visit to their doctor.  The black and white color scheme is there to warm predators including humans to stay away.  This use of warning colors is known as aposematic coloration. 

If you accidentally (or intentionally) touch a Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar,  you will quickly learn to associate aposematic coloration with danger or pain and you are less likely to make the same mistake again.

Stinging caterpillars!  Isn't nature cool?!

Milkweed Beetles

Almost everyone knows these facts about the relationship between Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and plants in the Milkweed (Asclepias) family:

• Monarch Butterfly caterpillars only eat Milkweeds.  
• Milkweed plants produce toxic chemicals and that the Monarch caterpillars can ingest those chemical without harm.  
• The caterpillar stores those chemicals in its body, becoming toxic (and bad tasting).
• These chemicals stay in the Monarch throughout its life cycle.
• The orange and black coloring of the adult Monarch is a warning to predators that the Monarch is toxic and tastes bad.  This use of warning colors is known as aposematic coloration.

The Monarch is not the only insect that eats Milkweed plants.  In Mid-Michigan there are two species of beetles that also have Milkweeds as their host plants. (There are also two species of Milkweed Bugs.) The Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus), also known as the Milkweed Borer, and the Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) are both found on milkweeds throughout Mid-Michigan. 

Like the the Monarch Butterfly they can consume Milkweeds without suffering any ill effects and store those chemicals in their bodies - using them as a chemical defense against predators.  Also like the Monarch Butterfly both beetle species display aposematic coloration to advertise their chemical defenses. Both species are orange(or red) and black. 

Red Milkweed Beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) on Common Milkweed

Milkweed Leaf Beetle (Labidomera clivicollis) on Common Milkweed