He's rather cute but obviously looks can be deceptive. Personally, I'm glad to know he's not in California. Do be careful, erasmus.

I will. This caterpillar looks amazing to me, formidable, fancy, and kind of elegant in a stubby way. It doesn't look inviting or friendly to me. He has some poison green slanted things on one end which may be his eyes. I think many poisonous bugs have an eye shape on them to frighten birds, or they might have some red. Here is a link to other stinging caterpillars. Most of them are prickly looking.

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef003

I've seen the Io moth caterpillar here also. The puss caterpillar sort of looks cute as it's so furry, but it can have one of the worst stings apparently. I would not want to see large numbers of any of these.

There have been a lot of these in the last couple of weeks on my maples. They are awfully cute, but since they are on my eye level, I told my husband to be a bit more careful mowing. This picture is from today.

Iris, that looks like a puss caterpillar. That link I posted describes it but here is another one or you could google it. From what I read the sting can feel like a broken bone, or worse than a scorpion sting. They hide on tree and shrub bark. Roses were mentioned as one plant they're found on.

If you have large numbers of a stinging caterpillar and want to get rid of them bt will kill them and is non toxic to most other creatures. Bt is bacillus thuringiensis but I'm not sure of the spelling. I think I will walk through my yard today just to look around for caterpillars. Also for writing spider webs. The writing spiders are so big...I know if I run in to a web and get one on my neck I will panic. Same with praying mantises. We have a lot of those around and some are so big it would not be much fun to feel one on your neck.

Forgot the link:

https://plantcaretoday.com/puss-caterpillar.html

I am not going to kill them. The ones I have seen looked big enough to make their cocoon. I don’t think there is time for another generation, so nothing to worry about anymore until Spring. I am just going to make sure my husband does bigger circles around the low branches with the next mowing.

Is cute! Glad I've never had the pleasure of meeting him though!

Erasmus, did you find anything interesting?

No, I got distracted and forgot to do it. When I found the Saddleback caterpillar years ago I relocated him, but this time I just let him be. I don't want more of them here though so I guess I should have squashed him or relocated him. It is kind of remarkable that a bug or creature that is rarely seen still manages to find mates and reproduce. I guess creatures must be very good at detecting pheromones.

Not to go off topic, but earlier this Summer I watched a Polyphemus Moth caterpillar grow up on a small oak. Walked by daily after it made it’s cocoon in the small hope to see it as an adult. Well, one late morning it had hatched. And it already had a male attached. He must have been waiting somewhere around the corner.

Nice moth picture. Looks like we have the same kind of moth here.

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Wow, what is that, Iris? The edges of that thing are so delicate like frost on a windowpane.

I am pretty sure it’s a crowned slug moth caterpillar. Aren’t they cool?

I don't like to be constantly vigilant about dangers in the garden but plainly you have to be observant or you'll get stung or bit or twist your ankle in a hole or mow over a yellow jacket nest like I did. So, Jasmine, were the caterpillars actually on the dead leaves?

No, they were some live leaves mixed in the dead ones..they were probably on the green ones but the saddlebacks camouflage themselves pretty well being half brown half green lol. Really hard to see sometimes unless you know what you're looking for. Sometimes they are in plain sight.

We have all kinds of critters here to be wary of in the garden. To date the worst thing I've found in our yard was a timber rattlesnake coiled up holding with his black rattle high. Our lab had it cornered back by our chicken coops. Definitely scary. I will never forget that sound lol.