“I was washing towels and removing them from the washer and found this worm in the bottom”, writes this reader about the pink, worm-like organism pictured below. “I am a new renter in this home. Please help. What is it ? How can I prevent this from happening again? Thanks for your help!” Based on the photo alone, though it is quite blurry, we would say this looks like a palm flower caterpillar or a white-blotched Heterocampa caterpillar. Neither species of caterpillar is harmful to humans, though we do suggest avoiding physical contact, as allergic reactions can still occur.

“What kind of caterpillar is this?” asks Heather about the pink caterpillar-like creature pictured below. “When I saw it I Googled ‘Is there such a thing as a pink caterpillar?’ and your website came up with the article about the lady in Arizona. After reading that article I don’t think my pink caterpillar is the same kind as hers, as I live in Missouri and this one was found in a wooded area. So, can you tell me what kind it is? I thought my son was kidding when he told me to come look at a pink caterpillar. Please identify it for me? Thank you!” To begin with, we want to commend Heather’s son for his discovery and his curiosity – you don’t see a pink caterpillar every day. We also want to thank Heather for the fantastic photos and videos she sent in, two of which we included here.

“I have never seen anything like it before,” says this reader of the worm-like creature she found in her kitchen one morning. The creature appears to have a segmented body, pink in color with small black dots, and has what appears to be a large, black and yellow eye spot at one end of its body.

Three palm flower caterpillars were recently found in a bedroom in this reader’s house in Scottsdale, Arizona. Before that, our reader’s son spotted a “‘very large’ moth,” and our reader asks if these caterpillars will get into her clothes.

A reader who recently moved to Las Vegas, Nevada has been finding worms in her apartment and wishes that we help identify them. The worms appear pink in color, with a white underside, an orange head, and small legs sprouting from its underside.

A man recently wrote to us after his wife found a pink worm on her polyester shirt. His guess is that the creature is a rice worm and wonders if it is harmful to his clothes or food.