Insects

Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Tonight’s outing included spotting a tussock moth caterpillar. The four black clusters of hair at the front and back are called pencils. Although it looks fuzzy and soft, it should not be touched, because the hairs can cause an allergic reaction, resulting in an itchy rash.

Rice Beetle

For the past few nights, we’ve been seeing an abundance of these around the porch light. I also suspect it’s what the wolf spiders have been gorging on. They are rice beetles, a member of the scarab family. They have two generations per year in Florida… one in spring (March) and one in fall (November). … Read more