tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66852696239545423852024-02-07T00:42:37.037-08:00HexapodiumArtist and author Teresa Marie Yawn is an entomologist with a passion for insects. This blog is about all things insect!teresamariedreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01994700976093112124noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685269623954542385.post-13167627571108093202020-10-12T14:18:00.007-07:002020-10-15T06:46:48.396-07:00Insects in the News: Puss Caterpillar<p><span style="text-align: justify;">On 11 September 2020, the
Virginia Mercury published an <a href="https://www.virginiamercury.com/2020/09/11/venomous-caterpillar-no-one-has-heard-of-sends-new-kent-woman-to-er/" target="_blank">article</a> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">about a woman in New Kent, Virginia who discovered first-hand how deadly an
encounter with a cute, little puss caterpillar can be. The woman, Crystal
Spindel Gaston, was reaching into her car when she felt a pain on her calf that
was “exactly like a scorching-hot knife passing through the outside of my
calf.”</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqcRkOzSU4sVIOUOqvgl-TOeEQc7GRemtHq9_C1hX62Fpsa8WTuayQ-nirj9dPlD1eehA5QA_n_sZZKXDYAdykFewF1G9uQhKabA3QeaJpOPenDj1uTGBscawaG0urcVZSuov7j3uzi_Y/s400/Furry_Puss_Caterpillar_2014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggqcRkOzSU4sVIOUOqvgl-TOeEQc7GRemtHq9_C1hX62Fpsa8WTuayQ-nirj9dPlD1eehA5QA_n_sZZKXDYAdykFewF1G9uQhKabA3QeaJpOPenDj1uTGBscawaG0urcVZSuov7j3uzi_Y/s320/Furry_Puss_Caterpillar_2014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Puss Caterpillar.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Image from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopyge_opercularis" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The puss caterpillar is the
larval stage of a moth that goes by the scientific name <em><span style="background: white;">Megalopyge opercularis</span></em>. The
caterpillar is a small creature; when fully grown, it ranges from 1 to 1½
inches in length. It has an ovoid sort of shape with a tail at one end and no
apparent face at the other end. A dense coat of hair, ranging from a light sandy
to a dark brown color, covers its body. Overall, they are very cute—often said
to look like a cat (hence, “puss caterpillar”), or a hairy little dog, or like
the tribbles as seen on Star Trek’s memorable episode “The Trouble with
Tribbles”.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSuGM6OcZ-y2cFXE3fisKrBf5scXfVVanjeT4YqavQx1kq_7U2-ZBhwUTyNqU3zXHA4NR9p1Seg2TaJPK1lJDhyphenhyphenPf3oiwMj3s3_zs_cbKx8xJaEzWUREZi7S-9bVuBWQ3Iz7ix0dDnXWE/s368/ST_TroubleWithTribbles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSuGM6OcZ-y2cFXE3fisKrBf5scXfVVanjeT4YqavQx1kq_7U2-ZBhwUTyNqU3zXHA4NR9p1Seg2TaJPK1lJDhyphenhyphenPf3oiwMj3s3_zs_cbKx8xJaEzWUREZi7S-9bVuBWQ3Iz7ix0dDnXWE/s320/ST_TroubleWithTribbles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Caption Kirk in a pile of tribbles.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Image from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Tribbles" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>.)</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Captain Kirk was frustrated when
he found himself in a pile of tribbles, but if those had been puss caterpillars,
he’d have been writhing in pain and wishing for death. That’s because the puss caterpillar
possesses urticating hairs—each hair is a venomous quill that, upon contact
with a person, breaks off, punctures the skin, and injects the deadly venom,
causing immediate and incredible pain. It gets worse. The pain drills down into
the bones and radiates from the point of injection encompassing a much greater portion
of the body than the site of contact. A drastic drop in blood pressure and a rapidly
beating heart are common. Weakness and fatigue ensue; some people pass out. Victims
may suffer intense headaches, fever, and acute abdominal pain. The initial contact
is bad, but as time progresses, the pain gets worse, building and intensifying
for 2 to 3 days. There are no recorded deaths from puss caterpillar venom, but
there have been close calls and many trips to Emergency Rooms. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Twice in Texas, schools had to be
closed because of puss caterpillar outbreaks, once in 1923 in San Antonia, and
once in 1951 in Galveston. The puss caterpillar is abundant in Texas at any
given time, but in those two years and locations, they were super-abundant. Outbreaks are common among insect populations. The puss
caterpillar isn’t well known in Virginia—except maybe by the extension agencies
and the entomologists—because the caterpillars usually occur in low numbers
there. But this year, for whatever reason, or reasons, conditions have been ripe
for the rapid buildup of puss caterpillar populations and they are all
over the place. Since Crystal Gaston’s incident, many others in Virginia have
had unfortunate experiences with the humble puss caterpillar, and it is getting
noticed now! Suddenly it is all over the headlines, from the Washington Post to
the New York times, and it has become fashionable among these journalists to
warn people to practice social distancing with this insect! </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">However, very often contact is
made without being aware of the caterpillar. They are inconspicuous, quiet, unassuming
little creatures. Crystal Gaston leaned her leg against her car frame
and—zap!!—there it was. You may unwittingly come in contact with a puss
caterpillar doing something as innocuous as placing your hand on a fence, or
sitting down at a picnic table, or leaning against a post. The puss caterpillars
eat tree leaves from a wide range of trees. In Florida, they are often found on
oak and elm trees, and sometimes they fall out of their trees and onto an
unsuspecting person standing, or sitting, or enjoying a nap, or just passing
by, under the tree. Once, sitting at my kitchen table, I looked down and saw
a puss caterpillar slowly creeping up my shirt. I had just been in our yard and
it had probably fallen from one of our many oak trees. Being an entomologist, I
recognized the little animal and carefully removed my shirt without making
contact. So, as in many situations found in this increasingly insane world, be aware
of your body in time and space and of the life and objects around you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">And be impressed by the power this
tiny, cute little insect possesses.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Some interesting places to visit
to learn more about the puss caterpillar:</b><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/moths/puss.htm" target="_blank">Featured Creatures (University of
Florida, Entomology and Nematology Dept.): <i>Megalopyge opercularis</i></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/84185-Megalopyge-opercularis" target="_blank">iNaturalist <i>Megalopyge opercularis</i>
species page</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://bugguide.net/node/view/4476#:~:text=Species%20Megalopyge%20opercularis%20%2D%20Southern%20Flannel%20Moth%20%2D%20Hodges%234647,-Classification%20%C2%B7%20Hodges%20Number&text=Puss%20Caterpillar%20refers%20to%20cat,used%20in%20Texas%20(2).&text=Wingspan%2024%2D36%20mm." target="_blank">BugGuide <i>Megalopyge opercularis</i> species page</a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p><br />teresamariedreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01994700976093112124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6685269623954542385.post-65087968468113317942020-04-23T14:02:00.005-07:002020-08-02T14:07:48.935-07:00Art Exhibit: Insecta Harmonographica, by teresamarie<h2 class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf-slSkqKA2Yc6GLmNlP378arNTcofe-_uK0vy0nGcONdlJTsXlWAO2V6_EPurI6XW0s0IlzDYcdXihVQrNk_J5cFwU4zAdIajj4SWkBA2DYMJ1yJfxOthEG2pkeSHT0hXVDoH39K_72z/s1439/exhibit202004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="1439" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMf-slSkqKA2Yc6GLmNlP378arNTcofe-_uK0vy0nGcONdlJTsXlWAO2V6_EPurI6XW0s0IlzDYcdXihVQrNk_J5cFwU4zAdIajj4SWkBA2DYMJ1yJfxOthEG2pkeSHT0hXVDoH39K_72z/w410-h171/exhibit202004.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">Harmonograph artist teresamarie takes the viewer on a whimsical trip through a magical forest:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://teresamariedreams.com/exhibits/exhibit202004/exhibit202004.html">https://teresamariedreams.com/exhibits/exhibit202004/exhibit202004.html</a>.</div>
<br />teresamariedreamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01994700976093112124noreply@blogger.com