Fall Webworms
• PHOTO BY ME •
• PHOTO BY ME •
• PHOTO BY ME •
• PHOTO BY ME •
Although Hyphantria cunea resembles a worm and is called a "webworm," it isn't a true worm. Worms and caterpillars both have segmented bodies, but worms do not have legs as caterpillars do. Worms often live underground or in cool, damp places, but caterpillars live above ground on trees and plants. Worms live their lives as worms, but caterpillars are merely an intermediate larval stage that will eventually become a moth or a butterfly. Fall Webworms mature into moths.
The Fall Webworm is native to North America, but was introduced to Europe sometime during the 1940s, and have now spread to much of Europe and parts of Central Asia. They prefer feeding upon the leaves of hardwood trees, such as oak, elm, hickory, walnut, pecan, and others. Significant damage to the trees is not often seen, but there have been cases where an entire tree has been defoliated. Personally, I have never seen any marked damage to trees in this area.
• PHOTO BY ME •
The following video, taken by me, is a short 8-second clip of the caterpillars wiggling in their nest. Don't play the video if wiggling worms give you the creeps... 😁
When the caterpillars mature, they turn into lovely, white moths. The female is almost pure white, while the male has dark spots on the anterior wings.
PHOTOS SOURCE: CARLOS LOPEZ-VAAMONDE, et al., WIKMEDIA COMMONS
I saw one of the moths, alive, recently, but did not have my cellphone handy to snap a photo of it. But, then I saw one that was dead and photographed it as a reminder of the impermanence of life...
• PHOTO BY ME •
SOURCES
1 AllAboutWorms.com: The Difference Between Caterpillars and Worms
2 University of Illinois: Bagworm, Fall Webworm, or Eastern Tent Caterpillar?
3 Wikipedia: Fall Webworm
my whole body is starting to itch now..thanks for that :)
Wow your photography is so nice.
Wiggly worms — angelic/freckled moths — beautiful reminders of impermanence. What’s not to love? 💜🌿🦋
This is metamorphosis at its best. You took some really nice photos, I hope you will catch them when they mature too
These are perfect for trout and bass, especially if you find a clutch near water. We sometimes tighten the silk and use the whole ball as bait. 😎
I've seen these webs in trees many times, but didn't know what they were. Thanks for the info! It's good to know that there is normally no damage to the trees by these caterpillars.
very good photo theme, beautiful scenery ... the caterpillar is the seed of the butterfly
Source: FocusOnNature.com
I like worms and caterpillars are pretty cool too!
I saw a really neat moth on my neighbor's door this morning. First kind of that particular type I have ever seen. I did not take a picture but found one after doing a GoogleTM search.
Thank you for your tribute to those little creepy crawlees!
That is an Imperial Moth, a very large species, too! I saw one of those down here not long ago... need to do a post about the Imperial Moths one day! 😁
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