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.


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