This “Wooly Worm” is NOT Your Friend!
Photo: If you see this seemingly harmless little ball of fuzz, do not touch it. Warn your kids as well. This is a stinging caterpillar with bristles down the middle of its back.
Be very careful of caterpillars this time of year. Several different types of stinging caterpillars build up their populations this time of the year in preparation for winter. They’ll be on falling leaves, branches and elsewhere in your landscape.
The ones I see most often are puss caterpillars (asps) on oaks, hollies and other plants, IO moth larvae and Hagg moth caterpillars. However, there are several others.
This is a great web page showing each of the types you may encounter in the southern US. While it’s from Tampa, Florida, the information is spot-on for all of us in Texas as well.