Enjoy The Chirps!

The birds are chirping, the flowers are beginning to bloom, and the mysterious webbing is showing up in your trees. Ahh, the signs of spring!

The mysterious webbing actually isn’t that big of a mystery. It shows up in trees about now, frequently in cherry, or at least at Butterfly Ridge it is normally cherry. This webbing is actually the nests of the tent caterpillar moths. Here in southeast Ohio, we have two species of tent caterpillars, Eastern Tent Caterpillar and Forest Tent Caterpillar (pictured below Eastern left, Forest right). Any webbing you see in your trees in the autumn is a different moth species, the Fall Webworm.

This webbing serves as home base for the caterpillars of these species. The caterpillars actually spin the silk for the webs. At night, and sometimes during the day, they forage on new, actively growing tree leaves. Then during the day, they retreat to the relative safety of the webbed nest.

These caterpillars are gregarious feeders, meaning they like to hang out together while they eat. Humans are the same way to a degree. Because of this gregarious nature, the caterpillars (and humans) can go through a lot of food in a short period of time. In the caterpillars’ case, they can strip all of the leaves off of a large tree branch in a matter of a week or so.

This tends to cause humans great alarm. “Arghhh, they’re killing my tree. Get the pesticides, stat!” So, lets unpack the panic. First of all, they are not killing your tree. They may defoliate a few large branches but that will not kill the tree, and if it does, then your tree was most likely already in poor health and well on its way out. We have had Catalpa Sphinx moth caterpillars defoliate entire trees, and a month later there is a new crop of big beautiful leaves on the tree, Instead, I like to think of these guys as NLP’s (Nature’s Little Pruners).

Secondly, about the pesticide. Don’t do it, there is always collateral damage to pesticide use. “Then I will cut that branch out of the tree and throw it in the bon fire,” is what I frequently here from the locals.

Let me ask, what else is happening out in nature at this time of year. I will give you a hint, it involves a nest made of sticks, grasses, and Aunt Leota’s scrap yarn that the cat pulled out of the trash and left lying in the driveway last week. Yes! Birds are nesting as well. And what is mama bird going to feed all of those baby birds? The fried chicken scraps that the cat pulled out of the trash with Aunt Leota’s yarn? No! Various bugs and caterpillars.

My point is this, when you cut off the branch which is hosting the tent caterpillars and throw it in the fire, not only are you making mama bird’s job that much more difficult, you are also throwing off the natural provisioning of nature. Interesting how all of these caterpillars are being provided in neat little, easy to spot packages out in the woods at precisely the time that you have uber hungry baby birds populating the woods. If it helps, think of it as a pro-life type of thing.

The tent caterpillars are not killing your trees, but the baby birds are eating the caterpillars. At Butterfly Ridge, we ask you to do your part, and let nature operate as it is designed to do. Leave the webs and enjoy the chirps!