A spotted tussock moth caterpillar at Jones Point last fall. Natalie Helms photo.

People who come across the furry, yellow and black caterpillars with white plumes crawling around Haines should look but not touch, a Juneau scientist said.

While many people call them woolly bears, retired ornithology professor and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Bob Armstrong said the bumble bee looking caterpillars are called spotted tussock moth caterpillars. Despite their bright, colorful and…