The forest tent caterpillar strikes again! Just after getting them this spring, trees along the Roanoke River, Chowan River, and Lake Waccamaw once again lost their leaves. The very hungry caterpillar responsible for this defoliation, the forest tent caterpillar, is nothing new to us. This is the fifth year that outbreaks have occurred in the … Read more
Everyone expects pinecones to fall to the ground and stay put, so when one encounters a small ‘pinecone’ crawling across the ground, it is often met with surprise! Since when did pinecones have legs!? Fear not: evolution hasn’t taken us that far yet! These ‘crawling pinecones’ are actually leaf-eating insects called bagworms. Not really worms, … Read more
It may seem early to be talking about fall, but the fall webworm is already beginning to rear its ugly web. Called the fall webworm because the web nests in which it makes its home are highly visible in the fall, the caterpillar is already observable at a smaller scale in the summer months. The … Read more
Turkey will be the main course for many North Carolinians next week as we celebrate Thanksgiving. After the kitchen is cleaned up however, there’s no time to rest. Instead, it’s time to worry about another main course which you won’t enjoy: the feast that cankerworms enjoy every spring as they feed on tree leaves. Cankerworms … Read more
With scarf and pumpkin spice latte season right around the corner, enjoying the outdoors in the cooling weather is becoming more pleasant. It’s also a more pleasant season for the fall webworm, who’s growing appetite is becoming more apparent. Called the fall webworm because most of its activity is seen in the fall, these critters … Read more
This summer, North Carolina has its own “Very Hungry Caterpillar,” a favorite children’s book character known for its large appetite. This caterpillar won’t eat through various fruits, cupcakes and ice cream as it does in the book, though. Rather, this caterpillar is eating through leaves of white oak, red oak, yellow poplar, black gum … Read more
The Summer Olympics may be over, but there is one more bronze to give out. In parts of western N.C., hillsides covered in black locust trees are turning bronze. Despite the remaining summer temperatures, it looks like early fall color across the landscape. While the thought of early temperatures may bring hope to some, this dramatic … Read more
Summer is winding down, which means backpacks, No. 2 pencils, and the orangestriped oakworms are back! This native caterpillar is black with orange stripes and has two conspicuous horns near its head. Every year as we head into the last few weeks of summer, it makes itself and its appetite for tree leaves known. They feed … Read more
Over the past several weeks, growing silk tents can be seen adorning many roadside trees, nestled between branches. These aren’t off-season Halloween décor and spiders aren’t the only creatures that create silken structures. The offending organism is much less scary: a caterpillar. The eastern tent caterpillar, to be exact. The eastern tent caterpillar is a … Read more
