Submission: “What kind of moth or butterfly will this be? And is it poisonous?”Hello! Th
Submission: “What kind of moth or butterfly will this be? And is it poisonous?”Hello! Thanks for your submission!I’m getting a lot of these lately (I’ve had 2 this week alone!) because it’s the season for Indian Fritillary caterpillars to start wandering around, looking for a place to pupate.You can see a longer post about them here!I can’t find any specific information about whether the spikes on the caterpillar are venomous, although I would probably avoid touching them just in case. The spines on many caterpillars (especially those of certain moths) contain little ‘hairs’ that can break off and cause skin irritation or pain. A caterpillar wearing such distinct high-contrast colors is likely warning predators to avoid eating it for both their benefit. ;)These highly noticeable caterpillars turn into a gorgeous golden-orange speckly Fritillary butterfly (the females are larger and have a bright white patch next to an iridescent denim-blue patch) which fly all over Japan until first frost. -- source link
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