Yep.. here in my little spot in Marshfield the cankers are back!! At least I think they are cankers. By whatever name the little half inch green buggers are eating machines.
Sit outside on a quiet evening and you can not only hear the frass falling like a light drizzle you can even hear them chewing as strange as that may sound. Their first targets are the Oaks and Maples but soon they will move lower to the plants I covet. I will mix up a quart of overly toxic spray today in hopes of keeping them off the Crepe Myrtles, JP's, and other favorites but luckily they don't seem to favor most of the trees and shrubs planted out so I can be selective.
Well I will live with them as in a strange sense they are pretty cool. Hopefully the canopy trees can take another major beating. It's been three or four years in a row the has plague arrived and the oaks and maple have proved pretty resilient by leafing out again so we will see. One additional benefit are the birds!! I think they have nearly an unlimited food supply.
Sorry for rambling and hope none of you have a caterpillar onslaught happening. I just came into the house to brush the caterpillar CRAP out of my hair!! GEEZ......
Frass attack and munching Cankers...
ewww, that doesn't sound pleasant, sorry!
had not heard they were back again RR - you have to do what you need to do there - please keep them on the south shore!
I am sure Wha that you don't want them gracing your stones or your collection of J. Maples. I am very patient when it comes to the harsher chems but these things can uglify a tree for the season in a day or two. Someone told me they might be winter moth catipillar and I thought they were cankers. Guess it doen't matter much either way but they can sure eat.
People just don't beleive me when I tell them you can hear them chewing..
They sound like Gypsy moths to me....we had them about 15 years ago....what a mess they made!
Do you see their tents in the trees? We used to burn them.
Glad that's one I don't have.
Gypsy moths have been on vacation for years here.. No tents to speak of either but that may be something else completely. Don't think tent caterpillars and gypsy moths are the same thing. I am pretty sure these guys are cankers or Winter moth. I first see them when they are bright green and a 1/4 inch in length and they top out at about one inch of mean leaf eating machines.
The driveway is covered with the shredded leaves of Oaks and Maples. Hopefully all is well for the trees long term. "MOST" leaf out again but they have a limit. On a positive note... The caterpillars fall by the dozen into the KOI pond and provide a tasty treat.
Rock on folks....
Great picture, Sherrie!
Oops, ya you're right
Eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americanum http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef423.asp and the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Hyphantria+cunea&guide=Caterpillars
You can try to identify them here
http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?guide=Caterpillars
Actually, I love the Munching Cankers as a music band name!