Eastern Tent Caterpillar

Here's a silk nest of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. What it is not is a group of Gypsy Moth caterpillars [1].

Both of these species grow up to be moths, and both have the potential to defoliate our trees by eating leaves, but that's about where the similarities end:

  1. They're not closely related.
  2. Eastern Tent Caterpillars are a native species that our local ecosystems have been dealing with since pre-colonial days. Gypsy Moths are an invasive species brought here in a misguided attempt to create a silk industry here.
  3. Eastern Tent Caterpillars can defoliate trees, though this typically occurs early in the growing season and our trees typically refoliate in a couple weeks. Gypsy Moth caterpillars are more likely to defoliate trees, and the trees are less likely to regrow leaves that season.
  4. Eastern Tent Caterpillars create the silk "tents" (hence the name) to provide themselves some (imperfect) protection from predators and the elements. They are fairly social as larvae go, living in these nests much of the time while leaving them temporarily to feed. Gypsy Moths disperse as caterpillars, and don't create these silky structures at all.
Generally speaking, seeing these silk tents around isn't likely to be a death sentence for your trees. Seeing a bunch of Gypsy Moth caterpillars is a much more serious threat to your trees.

May 28, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 133214226, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] About the time I was writing this post, the Entomological Society of America was in the process of changing the common name of this moth to Spongy Moth.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tussock Moth Herd

Image
Some caterpillars are usually seen in large numbers (like Armyworm Moth caterpillars and Eastern Tent Caterpillars ), while most are more solitary. The Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars (more about them are here ) seem to be slightly social. I'll sometimes see them alone, but more often I'll see them in groups of 2-9 members. In the 1st picture below, you can see there is a clear size difference in some of these individuals. I'm almost certain the little one in the middle is in an earlier instar than the others (though they lack the colorful tufts of fuzz in their earliest instars). August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477945, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) In the picture below, it's clear that these caterpillars don't require a lot of personal space. August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477979, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Read more

Copper Underwing Caterpillar

Image
I believe this caterpillar to be a Copper Underwing [1]. At least the coloring and the dorsal hump (near the left end of the caterpillar) seem consistent with the Copper Underwing. These caterpillars are not what you'd consider picky eaters; my Caterpillars of Eastern North America describes their diet thusly: Many wooded plants including apple, basswood, blueberry, cherry chestnut, current, grape, greenbrier, hawthorn, hickory, lilac, maple, oak, poplar, raspberry, rhododendron, viburnum, Virginia creeper, and walnut. Wikipedia adds: Ash, privet, honeysuckle, rose, and service trees. That's a pretty wide range of trees and shrubs. One of the challenges of finding them is that they could be almost anywhere; the other challenges are: Their green coloring blends in pretty darned well with the average leaf. They have a habit of feeding underneath leaves, so they're probably not visible when looking down at their location. They have a tendency to move from leaf-to-leaf; if you
Read more

Eastern Pondhawks

Image
I'm going to try something different today with my Eastern Pondhawk pictures. I'm going to let ChatGPT do my blog today. (ChatGPT is an AI program that you can converse with in a pretty human way; an explanation of it is here .) Me:  Can you tell me something interesting about the Eastern Pondhawk? ChatGPT:  The Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) is a dragonfly species that is native to North America. It is a medium-sized dragonfly, with a wingspan of about 3 inches, and can be found in a variety of habitats, including wetlands, marshes, and ponds. One interesting characteristic of the Eastern Pondhawk is its mating behavior. Male Eastern Pondhawks are known for their territorial behavior and will defend their territory from other males. They will patrol their territory and will try to mate with any females that fly into their territory. Another interesting fact about the Eastern Pondhawk is that it is a fast flyer and is able to hover in midair. It is also an import
Read more