purplerabbit

So a number of you have heard the list of strange ways I have been injured before.

One of the most infamous occurred when I was 17 and camping in Northeastern Oklahoma. I was stung twice by a "fluffy white caterpillar" and had to have anti-venom shots. The two bright red welts on my right thigh actually left the lower part of my body numb. The emergency room doctor said that it was luck for me that it didn't sting anywhere near my lungs or heart.

So I got curious. Apparently there are quite a number of stinging caterpillars. Most didn't fit the description of the critter in questions. Finally, I found what I think is it: Lagoa crispata aka Crinkled Flannel Moth. The later forms of the caterpillar can be dark, but the early form is fluffy white.

Here are a couple sites with photos:
http://booksandnature.homestead.com/moth52.html
http://www.poisoncentertampa.org/venomouscritters/caterpillar_multi.html#flannelmoth

So if you ever thought I was making it up, now you know. Yes, caterpillars can be dangerous. In fact, there are literally dozens of sites on various types of stinging caterpillars. Most look pretty weird and I would not have picked them up because of that. But this one looked so harmless.