Here’s a little warning from someone (me) who saw a family member (my son) find out the hard way about these little guys, and who’s kept an eye out for them ever since then.

It’s a Tussock Moth Caterpillar, and it’s venomous. Not the “well, it’s been nice knowing you” type of venomous, but as my son recently found out, it’s a pretty unpleasant experience.

He got an up-close-and-personal visit from one, and I think it’s safe to say he’s hoping that it never happens again, and we’d really hate to see it happen to you.

These Little Creatures May Look Fuzzy And Friendly, But Only The “Fuzzy” Part Is Accurate

Fuzzy, yes. Harmless, not so much. This whole experience began with my son Spencer and I sitting on the patio at home, about to go in and have lunch.

As he stood up, his hand went to the back right-side of his neck and he swept something away that had been crawling on him. When I looked down to see what he’d knocked to the ground, I saw an unusual looking caterpillar.

Here’s the culprit (right before being terminated with extreme prejudice by an angry mom protecting her grown son):

All It Takes Is Just A Single Touch To Make You Totally Regret Meeting One

It was a White-Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar. I knew that because I’d recently read a piece online about venomous caterpillars. I read that piece because we’d seen another one crawling on some backyard flowers about a week before.

The caterpillar has a built-in defense mechanism located in those tufts of hair. The venom contained in those hairs is released when the hairs become embedded in your skin upon contact. That venom can cause anything from a minor irritation to a very nasty (but not life-threatening) allergic reaction.

I assumed that because there were two touches involved (where the caterpillar was crawling on his neck, and on his hand when he swept it away) my son would have two areas that would need quick attention. I went straight to Google to see what we needed to do to mitigate the consequences of it being on his skin.

Strangely enough, the caterpillar only nailed him on one of those spots. His neck:

We also found it odd that initially, he showed no signs whatsoever of having been exposed to the venom. However, when it did announce itself, it brought some serious itching, burning, and overall discomfort.

What you see above didn’t show up for several hours, and by the time we photographed his neck it was looking a lot better than it did at first. We treated it with ice and calamine lotion, and he seems to be healing up quickly.

By the way, the Tussock Moth Caterpillar is not the only Illinois caterpillar that can cause you pain and discomfort if you touch one. Make sure you don’t touch these guys, either:

The Io Moth Caterpillar has stinging hair and barbs that can cause pain and rashes if touched.

The Imperial Moth Caterpillar is covered with irritating hairs that can cause severe itch and rashes.

The Saddleback Caterpillar features stinging spines and hairs that can cause extreme skin irritation.

The Illinois Valley Democrats (La Salle, Bureau, Putnam counties) will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27, at the La Salle VFW, 2325 Donahue St.

The DePue Boat Races in July will be discussed and raffle tickets will be distributed to members. All Democrats are invited and encouraged to attend. Food can be purchased through the VFW.

PEORIA (25News Now) – The Illinois Motor Fuel tax, known as the gas tax, will rise again on July 1 meaning higher per-gallon gas prices.

The tax rate increases by 3%. Taxes for gasoline will be 47 cents-per-gallon and 54 cents-per-gallon for diesel.

The increase is part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. In 2019, lawmakers voted to double the gas tax from 19 cents-per-gallon to 38 cents-per-gallon.

The plan was to increase the rate each year based on inflation.

Before 2019, did not have a gas tax increase for nearly 30 years. The tax revenue collected helped fund roads and transportation projects.

Some residents we spoke with said they understand the tax increase. Others said that more roads need to be redone.

State Rep. Travis Weaver (R-Edwards) agreed roads need work, but he said the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) needs to use the more than $3 billion sitting in the road fund.

“Obviously, they take in revenue and spend money, but the balance has grown by six times as much,” Weaver said. “I would say to IDOT: ‘You have two choices. You either start spending that money, putting it to work to get roads fixed, or we’re going to cut the gas tax.’”

In a statement to 25 News, Democratic Sen. Dave Koehler said:

“Recently, it was announced that the Peoria and Bloomington-Normal communities will receive over $193 million in funding for state and local highways through the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Multi-Year Plan. These funds play a large role in supporting this program that ensures our roads and bridges are safe and well maintained.”

Another issue is for electric vehicle owners who do not pay gas taxes.

Starting July 1, EV owners will be charged a $100 yearly fee to make up for lost tax revenue, on top of the annual registration fee.

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