Found this cat crawling on the ground today. This boy was big --- as big around as my finger & approx. 3" long.

Butt shot

Trying to shoot it's face

It's mad at me now & hiding it's face

some type of hornworm?

I looked up hornworms & no, it doesn't seem so. Thanks though.

My first thought was maybe Larva of one of the Hairstreaks. I'm looking through my Florida Butterfly Book.

back shortly ...

Ahhhhh, thou hast a butterfly book......
thanks Lin!

Well, I am so NOT good at comparing photo's! I've searched through my book Butterflies of Florida and couldn't seen to find anything that matched. I started googling and found this site with different instar stages of the Luna Moth. Scroll down this page and look at the fourth and fifth stages:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/crea...

Or maybe the Polyphemus Moth?:

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

http://www.google.com/search?q...

I'm leaning more towards the resemblance to the Luna Moth Caterpillar but that may be because I just LOVE the Luna Moth and I've never seen one in person!

Geesh, now I go back and enlarge your photo's and it doesn't look like either of those that I linked to! I'm still thinking it's a moth larvae ... what kinds of trees are around where you found that caterpillar?

Live oak, wild persimmon, beauty bush, red cedar, water oak.
Thanks Lin!

Oh, & Turkey Oak. I was googling like crazy myself & then I lost internet connection for about 45 minutes.

Gee, I am so bad comparing pictures ... I still can't find an exact match. I keep coming back to the Polyphemus Moth Caterpillar: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2... but it doesn't look as hairy as the one in your picture.

Hope someone comes along and recognizes the caterpillar ... would be nice to know for sure what it is.

AH HA! I found it!

Imperial Moth caterpillar

http://schmidling.com/impmoth....

Alright!! I'm so glad you found out which one it is ... I kinda thought it might be a moth caterpillar but I never could find a match.

Well, I was Googling like a fool trying to find it & of course I tried caterpillar ID, butterfly ID, moth ID etc, etc, ---- you know how I found it? I used KISS --- keep it simple stupid --- guess that's the best way to Google too --- I put in "green hairy caterpillar" DUH --- BINGO!

That's so funny. I pulled up a picture of one moth cat that I thought resembled yours and had my husband look at both pictures and he said no, the one she is trying to ID is hairier! And, I never thought to google for green, hairy caterpillar. Yep, sometimes the simple way is the easiest.