"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
Recently when driving home, I noticed a number of huge webs filled with dead leaves, hanging on the ends of tree branches. I’ve seen them before. They being along the roadside and me in the car, who cares. They weren’t bothering me. But then, I witnessed one of these unsightly, disgusting nests in my own yard. Ok, now I need to know what they are and how am I going to get rid of them!
The name Uglynest Caterpillar (Archips cerasivoranus) should come as no surprise.
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Uglynest Caterpillar
Ok, what’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” says Shakespeare’s Juliet. In other words there is no value in a name. It’s who you are that counts. Or what you are in the case of the Uglynest Caterpillar.
Oh how I’d love to ask, Mr. William Shakespeare, “Would an Uglynest Caterpillar by any other name look as disgusting?”
Least, I not discount what Shakespeare suggests. Although the name, Uglynest, implies something less than pretty, there is actually something wondrous about this nest filled with dead leaves and caterpillar droppings. The Uglynest is a shelter made of spun silk. Dead leaves and twigs are used to cradle and protect resting larva.
Outside the nest the caterpillars munch on surrounding foliage. Eating so much, they grow out of their shells and have to shed their skin/ molt. Amazingly, these creatures spin a small sheet of silk onto a twig or leaf, then attach themselves to this secure platform to molt. If you look closely at the bottom of the nest, you can see carcasses galore. Oh joy, an ugly messy nest. Maybe, that's where the name originates. The caterpillars will continue to use this environment from late spring through the summer. July through September, dull orange moths with a wingspang of just under an inch will emerge and take flight.
Shakespeare's point taken: names do not define us. The Uglynest Caterpillar is a marvel of nature's incredible precision.
I am told the caterpillars do eat the foliage on the host tree, but rarely cause any lasting damage. I'm not sure I will let the nest stay. It's good to know if the ugliness is too blatant, the area can be pruned and webbed portions destroyed. Spraying can be effective too.
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