When I was in Weehawken, New Jersey last weekend, I saw this little fellow crawling down the concrete steps near the grass. Although this photo was taken in New Jersey, I'm going to sneak it into this New York City blog.When I was a kid, my parents told me not to touch caterpillars because the hair on their backs can cause severe skin allergies and blisters. So I never did. Now as an adult, I'm curious if this is true. Does anyone know or is it just another myth my parents told me.
So what myths did your parents tell you when you were a kid?
20 comments:
Ming....love the photo...he is very fuzzy looking...My parents told me to never swallow watermelon seeds or a watermelon would grow in my tummy... So...as you can imagine...I never swallowed a seed... I think this was a myth to keep me from swallowing seeds only... :)
Great Shot.... such fine detail.
I've never heard of the "allergies and blisters" myth. Sounds good if you wouldn't want your child touching something that may bother you as a parent. I'll have to mention that one to my kids with snakes and worms ;)
A busy crawling fellow surrounded by myths, then! :)
Ok, here's one, when I was a little girl, My mom told me if I didn't finish my food(rice, specifically), my face will be marked with pocks,that is to say, one grain of rice left, one mark of pock on my face, and I did believe that..
Never heard that myth. I only heard if a moth flies by pple, we will get blind! :O
Hate any type of creepy-crawlies :(
No myths that I can remember... but I would anyhow not touch this one!
That's a pretty little thing!
I was told the same thing, Ming(re blisters and stuff). They also told me that the weather will turn bad if I don't eat all the food on my plate. Major bad news! Not being able to go outside was the worst that could happen in my childhood. Really.
Touch a toad and get a wart. I suspect it is all old wives tales. You should know. Haven't you touched it yet?
Nice shot, Ming, but YUCK!
Myth: I hated carrots, so my mother told me if I ate them, I would have good eyesight. HA! She lied! I gagged on those stupid things for a few years and still ended up wearing glasses by 4th grade.
That's a Tent Caterpillar, a particular nasty foriegn species that decimates local trees on the East Coast... You can see their giant white webs in trees, and they often kill the trees. Looks cute.... But they are a major pest in this area.....
Hey, Ming! I just had to add another comment re: your comments on my blog: Your apt. is 25% larger than the smallest condo here. I'm guessing that the cost is worse there than here, too.
Our son, who lives in FL, lives in 700 sq feet. Unfortunately, he has not yet learned to edit out the things he doesn't need. . . like the 1000 t-shirts and 2000 CDs (or so it seems).
And, no, I don't eat carrots. :-)
Great shot! I've never heard about not touching them before.
A New Jersey caterpillar on a New York blog....hmmmm
I used to touch those creatures as a kid and never got blisters. Besides, don't they turn into butterflies?
My mother was very superstitious and told me the following:
1. Never open an umbrella indoors...BAD LUCK
2. Never put shoes on a table....BAD LUCK
3. Never walk over anyone....they will stop growing.
I used to tuch all kinds of creeps when I was a child, including caterpillars, frogs, worms, snails, etc... never got blisters (c:
We were told in kindergarten, that if the wind would change while we were making faces, our faces would stay like that forever!
We'll say that this is a Manhattan caterpillar who took the ferry to go shopping in NJ. You know, for the taxes. ;)
My mom used to tell me she had eyes in her back and could see me at all times. I believed her of course although I never quite figured out where those eyes really were: she always knew when I missbehaved!
We used to call those caterpillars 'spitfires' while growing up in Australia because they can sting if they feel threatened. I never liked them anyway.
I was always told -
1. Eat your crusts or your hair will go curly
2. Don't make funny faces or the wind will change and you face will stay like that
Nice closeup; but glad I'm far away from it. :-)
My grandmother told us that snapdragons would bite if we touched them - a clever ploy to keep us from messing around in her beautiful garden!
Hi ming, nice blog you got there. Are u a Malaysian in NYC?
Anyway to address your question, it's true some ppl can be allergice to caterpillars. I know, cos I was. As a kid whenever I played in the garden and accidentally brushed into them (without realizing), I'd get hives and break out in a rash. Still gives me the creepy crawlies thinking about them. I avoid them like the plague now.
Buckmoth caterpillars feed on live oaks here in New Orleans and when they are around in April and May they must be avoided because their sting is quite painful, as every child and puppy soon learns. So if you come for Jazz Fest don't touch the creepy-crawlies!
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