Big thanks go out to commenter Dan for solving this mystery from last fall! This fabulously striped caterpillar that Josh, Happy, and I spotted in Farris Park is a brown-hooded owlet moth—a fitting name for a moth caterpillar on a bird blog. You can find more info about them, including photos of the more subdued adult form, at BugGuide. On Dan’s recommendation I’ve ordered Caterpillars of Eastern North America: A Guide to Identification and Natural History
