ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
Every spring, little green inchworms start to appear, seemingly floating in the air beneath the trees. They don’t live in the sky, but drop from the trees “when disturbed by wind, weather or predators” using their web, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).
While we don’t typically think of caterpillars as web spinners, these bright insects – known as oak leafrollers and oak leaftiers – sometimes end up in people’s hair if they unsuspectingly run into the insect hanging from its web.
But where do they come from and why do we see so many this time of year?
As caterpillars are known to do, the oak leafrollers and leaftiers start as larvae and eventually turn into moths. Their namesake, the oak tree, is where they live as caterpillars to feast on the foliage, making them mostly found in the forests of Eastern North America, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDAFS).
The inchworm is most often seen hanging around in the early spring because the oak leafroller and leaftier eggs start to hatch in March. Within a couple of weeks, they reach their full adult form as a moth, then the mating season begins in May. The eggs sit for 10 months before the cycle starts all over again, IFAS specialist Cindy Peacock said.
The little caterpillars may be bothersome, but they’re not dangerous to you or your plants so there’s no need to worry or call an exterminator.
“...they have a few predators that will take care of them naturally,” Peacock said. “Just let nature take its course and dodge a few.”
