OOOH! I got stung by one last year (it was on my rose bush and I thought I was stuck with a thorn, but the pain became so intense).

I then found dozens on my cherry tree. Be careful, if you are stung in the eye by one of these you can go blind. Avoid at all costs.

They are cute, though.

And not all the stinging caterpillars look like that (although that one has the WORST sting!). Look for others that have bristly hairs. Immediate application of ice has helped me (and leave it on for like 5 minutes).

I have noticed that there are certain types of foliage that they prefer to munch on - cherries, serviceberries, even found one on a ninebark the other day (all plants in the Rosaceae family?). But apparently they are not picky as I have also found them on small oaks and now vroomp finds them on cannas.

I have always seen them on my Cherries. Their colors mimic the leaf spots on Cherries. This is the first time I have seen one feasting on Cannas and I never knew they would eat them. Maybe they can be trained to attack Canna leaf rollers.

I have always had them on my cannas, rudbeckias and Japanese Maple which they LOVE to much. It's very annoying as they ruin the canopy of the Japanese maple about this time of year. The top is now just sticks!

GGG

Last year they were on my irises - getting stung by one was my first experience with them. This year I was stung by one on my Lady Banks rosebush, and then found another one on a burning bush (can't remember the Latin name for that shrub), it later moved over to a hibiscus, and this past weekend I saw a very interesting thing - it had been attacked by those little wasps that lay eggs all over it. The same ones they say will eventually kill off tomato hornworms if you can just wait it out? I'd never seen it happen before, and I felt like a very righteous organic gardener.

Thanks for the heads up Vroomp!

I never knew they hung around anywhere but my sycamores, and they have incapacitated me a couple of times. I keep the low hanging limbs trimmed back because of them.

One nailed me in my basil a few weeks ago. I wouldn't have smooshed it if I'd know it would eat the dreaded cannas. But the kids play in the garden, so away it went.