This furry caterpillar was (and still is) chilling on the wall next to my apartment door. I thought it was cute until I read about this caterpillar.
I believe it is Puss caterpillar – it is called puss because it is furry like a kitty. Cute name but this caterpillar is one of most venomous caterpillar in the U.S. so try avoid touching the furry part because that is where venomous spines are hidden. It have been said that the sting is worse than a bee sting, the sting is intense to the point that the sting can hurt person’s bones or last up to 12 hours.
This caterpillar can be found from New Jersey to Florida and southwest to Texas, there are five species of flannel moths and I think this is southern flannel moth, the most common species.
my iNaturalist observation can be found here.