This was on some grass. First impression was a caterpillar, but it seemed too short. Then there is that slimy yellow and green stuff on it. I tried moving some grass to get a better look, but it dropped down. Maybe I should have hunted for it.

The closest I found was this Virginian Tiger Moth larvae.
http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74...

Could the short body and slime be a cause of a parasite freeing itself, or something else all together?
Thank you very much.

Wooly Bear, Tiger Moth is what I thought of first.

Yup, definitely a caterpillar with that head. I was thinking Virginia Tiger Moth at first glance. http://www.butterfliesandmoths...

Thank you. Do you have any idea what that slime is?

Kim, I'm not sure I want to know! Caterpillars aren't slimy, like I tell the kids at MOSI all the time. Either it was something that came out of the plant when the caterpillar started chewing, it was on the plant to begin with, or the caterpillar has something very wrong with it.