Did
you see oak leaves falling prematurely around your cottage in September this
year? Did they look partially chewed? Did you see lots if caterpillars with
an orange head and an
orange-red hump at the end of its body? Did you think all our pests come in the
spring and summer?
Apparently
they don’t, but this is the first time we’ve seen such significant defoliation
at this time of year. The critter responsible is the redhumped oakworm. The good news is that the leaves were just about
to fall so there is little permanent damage, unless the tree was already
weakened from other pests or drought. It did make for an odd looking forest
floor of green leaf chunks!
If
you are interested in a picture and more details check the Bioforest website:
www.bioforest.org