Exploring Nature: Oak Worms

If you have mature oak trees around your abode, chances are you have seen numerous little gray and green worms hanging from the tree on silk-like threads. These little creatures also hump along on any surface they might land on. Some folks call them cankerworms.

All in all, they are not conducive to peacefully sitting under the tree since they interfere with contemplating the cosmic nature of things when you run into the threads or the worms get tangled in your hair.

To keep things grounded in science it is worth noting the threads are definitely not silk and these are caterpillars. They will feed a couple of weeks and then, beginning around May, they will turn into moths. These moths, in turn, will lay eggs in the trees and these eggs will eventually hatch out next spring as new caterpillars. And so it goes, a most effective natural cycle.

While these caterpillars can sometimes be bothersome, especially if they fall in food or drink, they also have a plus side. They provide excellent, highprotein food for birds, especially baby birds at this time of year. The caterpillars eat tender new leaves, but generally they do little damage to healthy oaks, since there are plenty of leaves to go around.

The moths, by the way, have a very short life. They quickly mate, lay eggs and then die.

Nobody said nature always provides a happy ending.