Woolly bear caterpillar video courtesy of 360North television.
In this week’s edition of Gardentalk, Master Gardener Ed Buyarski warns us about the emergence of the banded woolly bear caterpillar that can attack plant leaves before becoming the spotted tussuck moth.
“I first noticed them on my raspberries,” said Buyarski, who also has found them on his apple and alder trees.
“If you look at the alders, you can see kind of how shredded the leaves are,” Buyarski said. “Especially the younger ones.”
Buyarski said he’s been squishing them. But he warns that children and others may be allergic to the caterpillar hairs.
“Don’t play with your woolly bears is the bottom line here,” Buyarski said.
Buyarski also had some tips for picking and preparing gooseberries, raspberries, apples and kiwis.
Building a cocoon, the Spotted Tussuck Moth from Bob Armstrong’s Nature Alaska
