Skeletons are becoming a familiar sight in Durham this summer, and it’s not from overly excited fans of Halloween décor. These skeletons are of once-green oak leaves, the remaining veins after the oak slug sawfly has had its fill. This insect is responsible for the sudden transformation of oaks in and around downtown Durham from […]
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 […]
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 […]
Most years, native forest pests munch on trees, never really causing huge disturbances or widespread damage. Natural enemies, environmental conditions, and interactions with the host plant generally keep populations low. But every once in a while, when environmental conditions are perfectly-suited, pest populations build and an outbreak can occur, catching everyone by surprise. Western North […]
It’s the New Year and the City of Oaks welcomed 2014 with the annual acorn drop. Each year, a large, copper acorn is lowered in downtown Raleigh at midnight amongst fireworks, music and festivities. But the big, shiny acorn at First Night Raleigh isn’t the only acorn dropping. Each fall, countless acorns drop from oak […]