I live in virginia and found a bright green catapillar in my back yard need to know if it is poisonus or not?

Question

it is bright green in color and has red dots with what it looks like is hairs coming from the dots along the the entire length of the body. it is fat almost the size of a penny around and about 2 to 3 inches long. i have pics if anyone wants to see please respond need to know what type it is thanks!

Answer 1

usually bugs with bright colors are poisonous.  So don't eat it!

Answer 2

It might be poisonous IF YOU EAT IT!  You will not be envemonated from a caterpillar.

Answer 3

http://bugguide.net/node/view/74130/bgim...

anything like that one?...(I believe the identification of that one as a luna moth caterpillar is wrong... )

if that's it, check back and I'll try to find the right ID....

there's also one that's kinda green at the top of this page...

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/caterpillar_...

by the way... most of the stinging cats are hairy.... and UGLY!!.. LOL!!..

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/enpl/bulletins/...

Answer 4

Surely you weren't considering eating this little morsel were you?  I found some of the previous answers too humerous to ignore.  LOL.  

We use to call these little buggers "Tomato Worms" when I was a kid.  Although I am certain that is not the correct nomenclature for this critter, is is befitting.  Plant a few vines and in a few days those boys just magically appear along with their voracious appetite for green foliage.

Are they poisonous?  Perhaps if ingested. LOL again!!  Like many caterpillars, they will bite if threatened.  Generally speaking, the bigger the caterpillar, the bigger the bite.

Is the bugger you're dealing with poisonous on contact?  Probably not.  Consider the link below for additional information regarding dangerous bugs in your area.

Answer 5

Its probably poisonous, I just wouldn't touch it, I live in va and I've seen things like that too, I didn't touch it though...lol