Look, Don’t Touch: This Fluffy New Hampshire Caterpillar is Poisonous

The more you know about what can harm you when you are with Mother Nature, the more you might want to just stay inside. Add this super cute caterpillar to the list.

Here in New Hampshire, we have to worry about ticks giving us Lyme Disease, mosquitoes giving us the West Nile Virus and a host of other things that can harm you in the natural world, but I never would have guessed that the American Dagger Moth could be harmful.

This Cute NH Caterpillars Can Leave Your Skin Burning

According to insectidentification.org, the bristles on the top of this fuzzy thing break off if you touch them and embed into your skin.

Toxins are then released which can lead to a burning, itching sensation and lead to a rash.

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The caterpillar feeds on all kinds of trees like oak, ash, elm and maple.  Since those are found everywhere in New Hampshire, the chance that you will encounter one of these bad boys is very high.

We have trees like that, you probably do too, all over our yard.  At one point, we found two moths who were mating upside down.  Although I thought it was an interesting site to see, part of me thought it was disgusting, so I didn't stick around.

This video shows a different kind of moth mating, but it was very similar to what I saw.

Remember, if you see this caterpillar, look, but don't touch.  Or, as my friend Aaron says, "if it's yellow, let it mellow."