You probably have come across black and orange caterpillars in your garden. These brightly-colored crawling species can be poisonous to potential predators. Refrain from handling these creepy creatures if you have no clue about their identity.
All types of black and orange caterpillars are native to North America. These crawling insects are larvae of moths and butterflies after pupation. This caterpillar identification guide provides insights into descriptions and pictures of orange and black caterpillars.
Are Black and Orange Caterpillars Poisonous?
Most types of black and orange caterpillars are not poisonous. But we recommend wearing protective gloves when handling them.
Venomous black and orange caterpillars are hairy with hidden sharp spikes linked to toxic glands. The venom can cause severe skin irritation and nasty rashes in humans.
Some smooth-bodied black and orange caterpillars are dangerous to small animals and birds due to the toxin substances in their bodies. (Source: University of Missouri).
Use insecticides or invite birds into your garden to control the population of black and orange caterpillars. Otherwise, these crawling creatures will damage your crops or trees.
Different Types of Black and Orange Caterpillars
All types of black and orange caterpillars are native to North America. Here is a list of orange and black caterpillars found in the U.S.A and some parts of Canada:
Red-Humped Moth Caterpillar
Red-humped caterpillar is the longest moth caterpillar with longitudinal black and orange stripes. The orangey-red rounded head and hump on the back are the distinctive features.
But these striped caterpillars keep changing colors in different growth stages. A mature red-humped caterpillar has a yellowish-orange body with black and white stripes. The short fleshy tubercles can irritate your skin after touching the grub.
These orange and black caterpillars can grow up to 3.8cm long due to their voracious appetite. They feed in colonies and can defoliate fruit trees, walnut trees, willow trees, and cottonwood trees.
| Scientific Name | Schizura concinna |
| Host Plants | Willow, cottonwood, walnut, and fruit trees. |
| Identification Features | Yellowish-orange body with a redhead, reddish hump, and black spikes. |
Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar
It is a moth caterpillar with black and yellow bands with feathery spines. The crawling insect has three pairs of black forelegs and four pairs of black and orange prolegs in the mid-segments.
These moth caterpillars help control ragwort in the garden with crops. Their voracious appetite makes them grow up to 3cm long. These destructive caterpillars are poisonous to predators after ingestion.
Cinnabar moth caterpillars also feed on ants due to their cannibalistic trait. They are native to the Western United States to help control overgrowing ragwort.
| Scientific Name | Tyria jacobaeae |
| Host Plants | Ragwort and Ants |
| Identification Features | Black and yellow bands around the body with feathery spines. |
Yellow-Tail Moth Caterpillar
It is a fuzzy black and orange caterpillar native to Florida and Southern Texas. The caterpillar has black spines with two orange bands running down its back.
The furry orange and black caterpillar also has white patches on the segments, orangey-red bumps near its head, and a scary appearance.
These caterpillars turn into beautiful white moths with yellow tails. The spiny caterpillars love feeding on the leaves of birch trees, fruit trees, oak trees, rowan, hawthorn, and other deciduous trees.
| Scientific Name | Sphrageidus similis or Euproctis similis |
| Host Plants | Birch, fruit trees, hawthorn, rowan, and oak trees. |
| Identification Features | Black, orange, and yellow bands with white patches and long black spines. |
Isabella Tiger Moth Caterpillar
It is a black and orange fuzzy caterpillar present around the world due to its varied diet and quick adaptation. The orange and black colors are specified in the middle section.
The broad rusty orange band is prominent around the middle and fuzzy black bands are at the ends. The grub has orange forelegs, a small head, and a black-and-orange look.
Isabella Tiger Moth Caterpillar is also called the woolly bear moth caterpillar. The larvae feed on different plants and can grow up to 6cm long.
Other common names are woolly worms or black-ended bear caterpillars. These fuzzy orange and black caterpillars turn into yellow moths after pupation.
| Scientific Name | Pyrrharctia isabella |
| Host Plants | All plants |
| Identification Features | Rusty orange middle with fuzzy black ends |
Garden Tiger Moth Caterpillar
The woolly garden tiger moth caterpillar has a furry orange-black body. It is covered with long black, orange, and white spines that can irritate human skin.
These small black and orange caterpillars feed on low-growing herbaceous plants. You will notice them on a dandelion, dock, and plantain in the spring to summer.
The garden tiger moth caterpillars turn into great tiger moths after pupation. These brown and white moths have leopard-like patterns on their wings.
| Scientific Name | Arctia caja |
| Host Plants | Dandelion, dock, and plantain |
| Identification Features | Black hairy caterpillar with orange coloring along its sides. |
Gulf Fritillary Butterfly Caterpillar
The butterfly caterpillar has black, orange, and white colors. The grayish-black stripes on the dark orange body are the distinctive features.
The black spikes with tiny hairs on the caterpillar can cause skin irritation and nasty rashes when touched without protective gear.
A mature gulf fritillary butterfly caterpillar has a dark rusty orange color. These crawling insects feed on the foliage of passionflower plants.
| Scientific Name | Agraulis vanillae |
| Host Plants | Passionflower plants |
| Identification Features | Smooth dark orange body with grayish-black spines. |
Spiny Oakworm Caterpillar
It is an orange and black caterpillar with black dots and short black spikes. Tiny white dots are also visible with a large black horn and bulbous orange head.
These solitary caterpillars love feeding on the foliage of oak trees. They are often seen in late July munching the oak tree leaves.
These spiny oak worm caterpillars turn into furry orange and pink moths after pupation in early September. These grubs are native to Florida State and the Northern habitats of Canada.
| Scientific Name | Anisota stigma |
| Host Plants | Oaktree leaves |
| Identification Features | Orange spiny caterpillar with black spines and tiny white dots. |
Rusty Tussock Caterpillar
The crawling insect has four tufts of orange and black hairs on its black body. The toothbrush-like yellowish tufts on the back are the prominent features.
These caterpillars have glands that store venom obtained from milkweed plants. The hair tufts are connected to the gland to transmit toxins when touched by predators.
Refrain from handling rusty tussock caterpillars to avoid skin irritation. These grubs also have orangey-red tubercles on the back for easy identification.
The rusty tussock caterpillars are also called vapourer caterpillars and can grow up to 3-4cm long. They are often seen after the last frost season on trees and plants.
| Scientific Name | Orgyia antiqua |
| Host Plants | Milkweed plants and deciduous trees or shrubs. |
| Identification Features | Black, orange, yellow, and white irritating bristles on the black body. |
Fox Moth Caterpillar
It is a black hairy caterpillar with bright orange segments covered in black hairs. The furry orange and black caterpillar turns into a tan-colored furry moth after pupation.
A mature fox moth caterpillar grows up to 8cm long with a voracious appetite. These crawling insects feed on small shrubs, flowering perennials, and trees.
Do not touch or let these caterpillars rub their hairs on your skin. You might experience itchy skin and nasty rashes.
| Scientific Name | Macrothylacia rubi |
| Host Plants | Birches, willows, and legumes. |
| Identification Features | Black body with bright yellow or orange patterns running on its back. |
Oleander Caterpillar
These black and orange caterpillars feed on the leaves of oleander plants. The black tufts and black hairs covering the entire body are the prominent features.
These crawling insects have a voracious appetite and can grow up to 4cm long. They are also called polka dot wasp moth larvae.
Oleander caterpillars turn into blue moths with iridescent and polka-dot wings. These caterpillars are only consumed by small birds due to their foul-tasting.
| Scientific Name | Syntomeida epilais |
| Host Plants | Birch trees and oleander plants |
| Identification Features | Bright orange body with black tubercles and growing long hairs. |
Drinker Moth Caterpillar
It is a furry orange caterpillar with a black back and lines of orange dots. The distinctive features of this crawling insect are tufts of orange, white, and black hairs on its back.
The four pairs of hairy orange prolegs on the middle segments are other prominent features for easy identification. The moth caterpillar can grow up to 6cm long.
| Scientific Name | Euthrix potatoria |
| Host Plants | Canary grass |
| Identification Features | Orangey tufts of hair, black and orange bands running lengthwise on the back. |
Cape Lappet Moth Caterpillar
It is a moth caterpillar with a cluster of brightly colored orange hairs along the sides and a black band running lengthwise down its white back.
The three coppery-orange tufts of hairs on the head are distinctive features for easy identification and classification. The hairy caterpillar can grow up to 6cm long.
| Scientific Name | Eutricha capensis |
| Host Plants | Acacia cyclops |
| Identification Features | Bright orange tufts of hairs on the sides and black and white back. |
Imperial Moth Caterpillar
It is the strangest looking moth caterpillar with black and orange colorings. These orange and black caterpillars keep changing their colors in different growth stages.
Juvenile imperial moth caterpillars have a spiky yellow appearance with black stripes. A mature moth caterpillar has rusty red or orange colors with spiny hairs.
These intimidating caterpillars turn brown, maroon, or green before undergoing pupation. They can grow up to 10cm long with a voracious appetite.
| Scientific Name | Eacles imperialis |
| Host Plants | Pine, oak, maple, and sweet gum trees. |
| Identification Features | Large spiny black horns at the head and short spikes and hairs around its body. |
Mourning Cloak Caterpillar
It is a spiky black caterpillar with eight orange dots on its back. The black spines, short hairs, and white dots are other less prominent features of these caterpillars.
These black and orange caterpillars have a voracious appetite and can defoliate willows, elms, hackberries, poplars, roses, and birches. They can grow up to 5cm long.
| Scientific Name | Nymphalis antiopa |
| Host Plants | Willow, elm, hackberry, poplar, rose, cottonwood, and birch |
| Identification Features | Black body caterpillar with orange dots on each segment. |
Spurge Hawk-moth Caterpillar
These orange and black caterpillars are native to Western Asia and Europe. They have smooth bodies with orange heads, orange legs, and orange prolegs.
Spurge hawk-moth caterpillars have a black-tipped orange tail horn with bands of white dots and a yellow abdomen. They feed on sea spurge plants and can grow up to 10cm long.
| Scientific Name | Hyles euphorbiae |
| Host Plants | Sea spurge plants |
| Identification Features | Smooth black and orange body with numerous white dots and orange legs, head, tail, and horn. |
Milkweed Tiger Moth Caterpillar
It is a type of black caterpillar with bright orange hair tufts in its final growth stages. It loves feeding on the dogbane and milkweed plants.
The milkweed tiger moth caterpillars are fuzzy black, orange, and grayish for easy identification. Refrain from touching them to avoid skin irritation and inflammation.
| Scientific Name | Euchaetes egle |
| Host Plants | Milkweed plants |
| Identification Features | Black hair tufts with orange clumps of hairs growing on the back and grayish-white hairs. |
Tetrio Sphinx Caterpillar
It is a large black and yellow striped caterpillar with a bright orange head, legs, and tail. The crawling insect also has a long black spike at the tail end and can grow up to 15cm.
These striped caterpillars have tiny urticating barbed hairs that can cause severe skin irritation upon touching or handling them.
| Scientific Name | Pseudosphinx |
| Host Plants | Frangipani or Allamanda |
| Identification Features | Jet black body with orange legs, head, and tail. Yellow bands separate the segments. |
Old World Swallowtail Caterpillar
It is a bright green caterpillar with black bands and orange markings around its segments. The plump crawling insect can grow up to 4.5cm long.
The colorful grub turns into a spectacular swallowtail butterfly with creamy white and black wings after pupation. The blue and red markings make the butterfly stands out.
| Scientific Name | Papilio machaon |
| Host Plants | Sagebrushes |
| Identification Features | Bright green body with black bands and orange markings. |
Regal Moth Caterpillar
The regal moth caterpillar is also called the hickory horned devil caterpillar. The creepy crawly has a strange bluish-green appearance with short black spikes, black-tipped orange horns, and an orange tail end.
The huge horned caterpillar has several arched spiky horns near the head for easy identification and classification. It is the largest black and orange caterpillar in the world with a length of 15cm.
| Scientific Name | Citheronia regalis |
| Host Plants | Hickory tree leaves |
| Identification Features | Bright green body with prickly orange horns and short black spikes. |
Eastern Tent Caterpillar
It is an orange and black caterpillar that builds structures that resemble tents on the host plants. These structures cover one or more caterpillars on the leaves to protect them from potential predators.
The central white stripes on the back are other distinctive features for easy identification and classification. These crawling insects feed on the foliage of the black cherry, crabapple, and apple trees.
The tufts of hair contain toxins that cause severe skin irritation and nasty rashes when they come into contact with the human skin. Refrain from handling these hairy caterpillars without protective gear.
| Scientific Name | Malacosoma americana |
| Host Plants | Black cherry, crabapple, and apple |
| Identification Features | Black base color with orange marks and several blue dots on the back. |
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