September 27, 2006: Big-ass caterpillar
 

http://cellar.org/2006/cater1.jpg

Wolf not only finds this one, she does all the legwork of getting info on it, all credit to her.

This shot was taken by a park ranger "somewhere in Pennsylvania". This thing is wider than the guy's finger and as long as his hand! Whoa!

http://cellar.org/2006/cater2.jpg

It turns out that the beast, in caterpillar form, is called the "hickory horned devil" - more images here. And yeah, it's typically 5" long. They say it's not harmful to humans. They say.

http://cellar.org/2006/cater5.jpg

But when it turns into a moth, it's underwhelming despite its new name, the "regal moth".

Sure, we've seen that story before -- the big, colorful, horny youth, who turn rather plain as they age but continue to think of themselves as royalty.

I found one of those when I was a kid! Unfortunately, we didn't know how to care for it (they pupate underground, and we kept it on a branch until it was too late), so it died. Incredible critter.

The "somewhere in Pennsylvania" turns out to be French Creek State Park.

If it's not harmful to humans then why am I nauseaus just from looking at it?

Why aren't we throwing it in butter and fryin' it up?

Why aren't we frying it in butter and throwing it up?

Now I know what Mothra looked like before metamorphosis.

I like to save my butter for cannibutter...hehe...

Wonder if it is as edible as those West coast banana slugs?

THrow a few devils on the barbie?

Looks a lot like a tomato worm.

OMGosh! Did anyone see the fear factor episode (i'm sure there's been more than one, but maybe not) where they had to eat the tomoato worms! That was the SICKEST thing I've ever seen. They would bite into them and their juices would squirt them in the eyes, and the people standing near by...ooooh, that's so gross....now my stomach hurts. I could never make it on fear factor, just because of the weird shit they have to eat!

Which, incidentally, is ENTIRELY too close to The Cellar, since they have beasts like this roaming the place.

What do you expect, after all it is FRENCH Creek. :D

i live in walking distance to french creek state park. i aint skeered. you should see our centipedes. i've almost completed the saddle i'm making for the smaller one. i'll need more cows to make one for it's mom.

o/t

I noticed the strategically placed hyphen in the title of the thread, thereby saving a lot of dumb jokes...Well played, UT.

allergic
 

I happen to be SEVERELY allergic to insect stings, bites, basically, anything involving them up to and including awkward meetings and shy conversation at cocktail parties.

One of the most dangerous critters in all of North America for me to meet happened actually to friggin WALK ACROSS MY BACK a few years ago. This bad ass beastie was identified to me as a "Lesser Yellow Fuzzy Caterpillar". Why is it so dangerous, you have to ask? No, really, I hear you out there . . . You, with the Dell laptop, I hear you...well, let me tell you...

This thing, this beast from hell is dangerous on two levels:
A) Its legs contain powerful hystamines which cause an person who is allergic to have a reaction including swelling, closing of the muscles around the larynx, itching, sweating, and skin irritation (hives, blisters, etc) and
B) Its cute, little fuzzies all over its back? Well, those have one of the most powerful neurotoxins in North America for its size, and those little bastards get into your skin with all the usual reactions, sweats, hot flashes, cold flashes, numbness, loss of breathing, the usual fun stuff.

All I can say is:Thank GOD for epinephrine and Benedryl. I chugged half a bottle of Bennie, hit myself with my autoinjector, called 911, and passed out on the front steps --woke up with the ambulance guys being worried over me. But I lived to tell the tale (obviously) so now, whenever I see a caterpiller, well, I don't give a shit that some cute ass butterfly is the result, I squash em. bastards. every one of em.

Death to the buggies. Long live the Praying Mantiseses (what the HELL is the plural of that anyway). Ciao

I'm gonna refrain from being a bastard and not mention natural selection...

Great post! :)

I suffer from bouts of angioedema (triggered by anything from insect bites, to heat, to wearing shoes I haven't worn in a week so my skin isn't used to that particular pressure in that particular spot) meaning my capillaries swell, causing my skin to swell, blister, and itch like a thousand bugs are biting me. Unless it would ever happen to affect my esophagus, I'm not in danger of dying from it (though there are those who live with that risk) but man it sucks. I chug the benadryl myself, then am just about unconscious from it!

So now I know about the lesser fuzzy yellow caterpillars. I can see it now "Honey, go kill that fuzzy yellow caterpillar." He'll think I'm bonkers! :p

Saknussem, I'd be a city dweller, if I was you. :eek:

city dwelling
 

Well, this happened while I was living at
677 ****** Road
Brooklyn, NY

on the front porch, yet.

bastard caterpillars coming to Brooklyn.

was it one of these?

I would lock myself in a concealed room and cry if I was you.

Wow, been a while since I have been here.

Morethanpretty posted:

I do that anyway, m'dear. I do that anyway.

I have a new tale to tell in the strange allergic life of Saknussem! For those who remember this thread . . .

I have moved from NY to California, in the country California. In the central valley, California. Farmland. Know what they have at farms? Bugs. Lots of them. I went to Yosemite National Park recently, now I live 1 hour from the main gate and 1.5 hours from the Valley Where The Goddess Got Things Right (That is what we call Yosemite Valley http://www.geocities.com/taiwan_rock...valley_wp.jpg). Anyhow, it is FEDERAL LAND, right? While we were up there, I had an encounter with a caterpillar. The damn thing crawled right onto my arm! Christ, why do these things happen to ME!? Anyhow, I shook it off, and my arm is swelling already, ok?, and stomped on the little fucker. Well, CindyLou Park Ranger was RIGHT THE FUCK BEHIND ME! She came over like the proverbial bat out of righteous fury hell and told me I was getting a summons for killing a park animal. This thing carries like a $5k fine. Crap. Well, it turns out the judge is ALSO allergic to bugbites and let me go with a warning to wear long sleeve shirts. The ranger couldn't stop spitting. LOL.

Kill a caterpillar, you might be saving my life!

Welcome back, Sak!

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Because if you do it won't grow up into a butterfly and generations from now my descendants will all be Nazis. It's true, it was in a book.

Sniff. That is the most beautiful essay I've ever read. Caterpillars have ruined America. It's time to fight back! Squash the green goo out of them!

It was the benedryl talking. I am nowhere near that eloquent, ok? :P

Saknussem, how does this strike you:

Full story here.

Very wriggly video available at the above link.

Okay, my response to that would be something like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiP7-HBHwPc

Looks a lot bigger than five inches in this photo. Sort of like that Iraqi sand spider shot that looks like a lobster.

mtp has been around since 06? Where the heck was I?

That's what we want to know... and what were you doing... and with whom... and preferably with pictures. ;)