Tonight I was cleaning up the courtyard garden and found a wonderful surprise. This little fellow was on a tree that is not doing well.
When I finished for the evening I took a quick look at the wormy guy and found that he was climbing down the tree. His movement indicated which was his head. He looks a bit prickly, but could that be an illusion? According to Debbie Hadley on the About.com site, “touch them with a bare finger and you’ll feel you’ve been pricked by fiberglass.”
I saw a photo of the Rusty Tussock male moth and it is amazing. I hope that I have an opportunity to see one up close.
Bug Guide Image of Flightless Female
Orgyia antiqua (Rusty Tussock Moth)