Today as I was loading up clean laundry into my car, I took notice of a brown leaf stuck to the side of the car. That's weird....On further inspection, I discovered that the brown leaf was MOVING! OMG! What the heck is that?
It looked like a freaking alien! I was waiting for it to reach out and suck my face off or something!
After some poking with a short stick, I let the little guy alone and drove 45 minutes home, assuming he would disappear in the 75mph trip.
Nope, still holding on.
Look at it! Is it not the scariest bug you have ever seen? I swear it has teeth?!With a little research, I discovered that the strange alien caterpillar that has adhered itself to my car is a Hag Moth.
Cool! Other than the fact that IT STINGS! Here's what I found out about my new friend.
The Hag Moth caterpillar resembles a dried leaf. The caterpillar is brown with nine pairs of fleshy lobes, all with stinging hairs. It is found on lower branches of assorted trees and shrubs, including oak, chestnut, dogwood, sassafras and ash. The caterpillars are usually seen feeding on the lower surfaces of leaves.
No really effective home first aid treatments for caterpillar stings are available. Adhesive tape or transparent tape may be used to pull out some of the broken spines in the sting area. Washing the area thoroughly with soap and water may help remove some of the irritating venom. Prompt application of an ice pack or baking soda may help to reduce pain and prevent swelling. Antihistaminic drugs, often administered for bee and wasp stings, are reportedly ineffective. See a physician if severe reactions occur. Very young, aged or persons in poor health are more likely to suffer severe reaction symptoms.
Good thing I used a stick!
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