It's a saddleback catapillar. The thorns have venom. Felt it on my neck. Never seen one before, but will definitely be on the lookout from now on.
this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2023
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So cute. How much do they hurt? Are we talking like bee-sting level, "oh god am I bleeding?" level?
Leemy.world choses what you get to see on other instances.
IMO worse than a bee. Add in the fear/anxiety of not knowing what is causing the pain. If you look down and see a stinger your brain calms, as long as you aren't allergic. The saddleback can just brush against you and you get a feeling of being burnt, best way I can describe it, for an a half hour or so. Skin shows no irritation right away. Kinda scary the first time. I recently brushed up against one for the first time and had to search for what caused it. At first thought it was poison ivy or something but the burning kept getting worse very quickly.
I can't even imagine what it feels like on your neck.
I had no idea what had happened. I just felt a burning sensation on my neck. I thought at first I had just been cut by the corn stalk, but then the pain started spreading. I turned over the leaf and saw that, and freaked out.
The pain lasted for about 30 minutes. About an hour later, when I was able to look in the mirror, there was still a catapillar shaped welt.
Leemy.world choses what you get to see on other instances.
Your username suggests you looked very closely.
I've lived in this location for over 40 years before I had a run in with one... As a kid we grabbed any reptile/amphibian we saw while playing in the swamps but had never met a saddleback until a few years ago. Crazy little guys, beautiful but angry.
I'm in the same boat. Over 40 years here, and my first time encountering one. I had a serious WTF moment.