It looks like a tuft of fur shed by a cat, soft and fluffy, the kind that makes you want to touch it. But if you live in the southeastern United States, between New Jersey, Florida, and Texas, and see something like this on an oak or elm tree, do not reach for it.
It is the larva of the southern flannel moth, known as the “puss caterpillar”, and beneath that cute fur it hides rows of hollow venom-filled spines. The slightest brush is enough for them to lodge in the skin. The University of Florida documented that the pain can be more intense than a bee sting, a burning sensation that spreads throughout the arm or leg, accompanied by nausea, headache, and skin rashes.
Its stuffed-animal disguise is actually a perfect evolutionary trap. If you see one in your garden, admire it from a distance and keep children and pets well away. Sometimes the most dangerous things do not scream; they camouflage themselves.
