yellow hairy caterpillar identification

[Rob Hilton]

Hello, 

I signed up to this list mostly to ask this question....

Yesterday afternoon I saw (as best as I can remember) a yellow-hairy
caterpillar.  It had some black hair pencils like the American Dagger Moth
caterpillar (Acronicta americana) illustrated in the Peterson First Guide
to Caterpillars (which I just recently purchased),  though I can not
remember the exact arrangement.  It looked like that illustration except
that I remember the yellow hairs being longer and close to the body, with
no long hairs (other than the hair pencils) perpendicular to the body.  I
do not remember what plant it was on.  

Could it be the same species?  The above book says that these caterpillars
are white, yellow, or cream.  I don't own a copy of the Covell Moth Guide
(how about that?) and I won't be able to check libraries for several
days.....and my memory would fade even more.  

Thanks for your indulgence

Rob Hilton
robert at csa.com
Bethesda, Md., USA