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| Tonya's convict caterpillar |
Tonya Smith has been out with her camera again, this time finding an interesting moth, the redbud leaffolder moth, Fascista cercerisella. The 12 mm caterpillar looks like it escaped from a chain gang in a silent movie, and like the convict, this one is hiding out.
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| Skeletonized leaf |
These small caterpillars feed only on redbud, Cercis canadensis. They first lay down strands of silk which tighten as they dry, creating a shelter where they hide as they munch the upper epithelium of the leaf, leaving a skeleton of veins and dry brittle tissue. They produce primarily cosmetic damage, a "problem" in a suburban
neighborhood if you have a redbud in your yard.
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| Ohio State University |
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| Jon Rapp, Columbia MO |
Left alone they will pupate in their shelter and in Missouri they will have a second generation in the summer. In the fall, the leaves drop and they survive winter as a pupa. The adult is hard to find, a 1/4 inch long black or very dark brown moth with white spots. It first emerges in late April or early May. They lay their eggs near the veins.
So is this a pest or a native food for predators? It depends on where you live and the role of your redbud tree. There are chemical
industry answers, several topical or systemic insecticides, for people
that think this is a problem in their yard. These include neonictinoids and other
pesticides that harm a much larger number of creatures. This is the equivalent of killing a fly with a hand grenade.
For me, the leaffolder is just another fascinating lifestyle from nature. Thanks, Tonya!