CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) — If you walk outside and see this insect, you may think, “What is this thing?” and “Why is it pink and has the hair of a WWE wrestler?”

The author of this article actually saw one of these little critters on his doorframe and began researching these bright and colorful insects.

According to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources , there are thousands of different moth species in the Mountain State, and one of them is the Dryocampa rubicunda, better known as the rosy maple moth.

These vivid and eye-catching insects sport a pink and yellow color scheme and are close to places with many maple trees; maples are what the caterpillars — called green-striped mapleworms — feed on. The adults do not feed, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said.

They are also known to lay their eggs on oak trees as well as maples, according to the Maryland DNR . The University of Michigan said adults don’t have many impacts on humans, but they can eat all the leaves of a tree.

In the wild, they are known to live up to nine months, according to the University of Michigan .

The “ Butterflies and Moths of North America ” website has been tracking where these cute creatures are found, and most of the sightings are west of the Mississippi with a couple of historical records as far west as San Antonio and near Witchita, Kansas.

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According to the website, they have been seen in these states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska.

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