Hi Carrie, 

Thank you for your question. The caterpillar in your photo would appear to be a larvae of the Imperial Moth, scientific name Eacles imperialis, although it is darker than most.  A similar question (#720343) was asked in 2020 and I have copied the answer here for you.

"The caterpillars for this species can be of different colors: red, salmon, green, cinnamon, tan, brown or charcoal. Despite the colors, they all have fine, long, silky setae, or hairs, prominent white spiracles along each side and spiny horns on the second and third segments.

The imperial moth occurs from the Great Lakes region east to New York and south to Florida and central Texas. There is usually one generation over most of its range, and mature caterpillars appear from July - November.

They feed on a variety of woody plants including basswood, birch, cedar, maple, elm, oak, pine, sassafras, sweet gum, sycamore and walnut.

Here's a link to a NC State Extension publication on the Imperial Moth:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/imperial-moth

If you are interested in learning more about caterpillars in North Carolina, this is an excellent field guide that covers both butterfly and moth caterpillars:

Wagner, David L. (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton: Princeton University Press."

Thank you for submitting your question to Ask Extension and let me know if you have further questions.

Bob