CLEARWATER, Fla. — These fuzzy, little creatures aren't as cuddly as they look. They're called tussock moth caterpillars, and they'll likely leave you with a painful, stringing rash.

“The winter has been very warm and rainy, so there is lots of green around, which is always good for caterpillars,” said Andrei Sourakov, the Lepidoptera collections coordinator at the Florida ...