A look at a caterpillar's underside

By Aaron Horrell

A few weeks ago I found a caterpillar with a red head and lots of white hair. It had four very thick tufts of white hairs growing straight up from its back. It is called a white-marked tussock moth caterpillar.

This is a small insect about an inch long, native to North America and especially the eastern U.S. I found its colors to be bright and beautiful. It could crawl fast and seemed to be in a hurry.

I picked it up by placing the end of a dead stick in front of the crawling caterpillar. It obliged by climbing on. I lowered it into a clear glass jar and shook the caterpillar off the stick. This gave me the chance to photograph the caterpillar's seldom seen underside for you to see.

Do not pick up a tussock moth caterpillar with your bare hands. The little critter's spine hairs can prick your skin and cause a bit of pain and a rash.