Insect · GBIF taxon 1811948
Virginian Tiger Moth
Spilosoma virginicaAlso known as Yellow Woolly Bear Moth, Yellow Bear Caterpillar Moth
Virginian tiger moths are stark white adults with small black dots on their wings and bright orange body segments banded with black hidden underneath. Their larvae, famous as yellow woolly bear caterpillars, display variable furry coats ranging from pale cream to rust-orange and wander actively across lawns and garden beds in autumn. Overwintering inside silken cocoons woven with their own larval hairs, adults emerge in spring to mate and lay clusters of pale yellow eggs.
NocturnalFurry CaterpillarNative Insect
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—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Dandelion Leaves
- Clover
- Garden Vegetables
Predators
- Bats
- Insectivorous Birds
- Parasitoid Wasps
ThreatsArtificial light pollution, broad-spectrum pesticide spraying
HabitatsMeadows, gardens, fields, forest edges, and agricultural lands
Life span1–2 weeks (adults); up to 1 year including larval and winter pupal stages
Classification
- OrderLepidoptera
- FamilyErebidae
- GenusSpilosoma
- SpeciesSpilosoma virginica
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Dense caterpillar hairs may cause mild skin irritation; observe without handling bare-handed.
Responsible observation
- Spotting Caterpillars: Look along low garden foliage and weed patches in late summer and autumn.
- Attracting Adults: Set up a porch light or white sheet with a blacklight on warm summer nights.
- Handling Precautions: Nudge fuzzy caterpillars onto a stiff leaf rather than holding them directly.
Close Relative "Woolly Bear Caterpillar Spotted!" by soomness is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by Liubov Ilminska · cc0
Close Relative (c) Jon Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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Found in Collections
Species set
Moonlight Marvels
Virginian Tiger Moth is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.
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