Twigs that eat deciduous leaves

[kcpoole]

Hi all

I have noticed recently that most of my Maples, and Callistimons have had leaves go brown and withered looking or just shortened . I thought it was just the after effects of the summer and burnt leaves falling off or whatever

On Tuesday I took a tree to school and found some strange twig looking things on them and closer inspection ofound them to be long thin grubs that attach at both ends and camouflage themselves really well.
I have seen them before occasionally but this tree had quite a few on it.

Today I had a good look at all my trees and found hundreds of the buggers. Existing leaves have all been munched and are real paper thin and brown, and there is No new leaves on them at all.
Maples and Callistimons seem to be the targets only

I have picked them all off, and cut them in half but does anyone know what they the larvae of and how can I stop them in the first place?

See the attached pics
Ken

[63pmp]

Hey Ken,

I've got the same little guys out here in Mudgee. There called loopers or inch worms. I'm not sure what they turn into once they've grown up. They get quite large.

Paul

[Bretts]

Surely that cocoons and turns into a butterfly? then there would be eggs. What you see would be the larva stage. Maybe I am missing something from bug clarification?

I have little green caterpillars that roll themselves up in the leaves. My guess it is the common white butterfly. Has been a real pain to keep on top of them this year.

[Greth]

Twig llooper caterpillar, Ectropis excursaria. very common, consider it a pest and do whatever you do with caterpillars. There are sprays if the problem is severe, otherwise simple enough just to pick them off. Turns from a small brown uninteresting caterpillar into a small brown uninteresting moth.
Name refers to its flight pattern, turning out and turning around, flies like its rear is on fire.
The green guys could be white cabbage butterflies or the Tobacco looper, which is a common pest on ornamentals. Closely related to the Silver Y, because of a little silver marking on the moth wing.

I shall retreat back to the moth appreciation society now,
Greth

[63pmp]

Here's one on a trident,

IMG_0148a.JPG

also got the light tan ones.

Had a few of these guys this year, little ones really like to nibble on Hinoki cypress tips.

IMG_0825b.JPG

Thanks for the details Greth. I just pull them off and step on 'em. The katydids are trickier to catch, need a small fish net when big, or a quick nip with the fingers when small (leaves bug guts on your fingers though).

Paul

[Greth]

Not sure on that black guy, Paul, it will be another Geometrid moth (Geometrid= earth measurer= the inchworm types with only legs at the front and the little claspers at the back, none inbetween) Many Geometrids are quite pretty moths and colourful.

I'd be putting it into a jar and feeding it maple leaves and find out what it is, but thats just me, I can narrow down my interests to just about the whole of natural history. And I would have a dilemma if I only had one small bonsai maple for food supply. Many Australian moths are still barely named or described, quite an interesting field.

[63pmp]

Hey Greth,

Keeping one in a jar is an interesting thought, I'll have a look and see what's about. Usually if I don't get them, the flocks of silver-eyes and double bars do. But there might be one or two about. Let you know in spring what they look like.

Paul

[MelaQuin]

I have noticed an odd 'branch' on a couple of my trees over the last couple of years and looked again to discover a large looper that was exactly the colour of the tree's branches. No green or brown but perfect camouflage. Well, almost perfect!!!

Something along the same lines tackled my European Olive several weeks ago. This tree is very slow to create leaves and Whatever-It-Was removed most of the last year's work of the tree. I wasn't the least bit impressed but Whatever-It-Was was gone, leaving large poos on the soil surface and almost no leaves on the bonsai. Ever the vigilant eye.

[Greth]

Some of them have great camouflage, Mel !
The technical term for caterpillar poop is frass, yes theres a word for every purpose. Hope Eddie asks you that one on the last question!

[kcpoole]

Thanks all for the info
Okies i suppose from Jan on it seems I will have to more vigilant and then pull them as soon as I see em

I Hate bugs that eat my trees

Ken

[Jamie]

these suckers dont just eat deciduous either, i have found them on my figs before too. never a great deal though and not to much damage, i just pick em off when i catch em.

[Glenda]

these suckers dont just eat deciduous either, i have found them on my figs before too. never a great deal though and not to much damage, i just pick em off when i catch em.

I have found a couple on my figs too. I pulled them off and stomped on them repeatedly. The nerve of them!

Glenda

[AndrewM]

These little buggers must be every were

i have got them on my maples, figs and in the garden. i found that spraying helps get ride of the majority of the problem but still have to back and pluck the new arrivals of

[FlyBri]

Gday folks!

Seems that these critters have pretty strong stomachs: they (or something very similar) gave my Eucs a going-over during December and January. As MelaQuin noted, the ones that plagued me and my trees were precisely the colour of the branches they were feeding on (pinkish on the newer growth, green/brown on older growth).

I have never in my life seen so many caterpillars as I did this past summer...

Fly.

[Greth]

Nice to know they had a good season, anyway!
We had a load of Hakea moth caterpillars on a new Hakea, I let Jessie raise a few so she could see the pretty moths. Didnt have the heart to remove them, and they are big fellas, so no Hakea flowers to show, sigh.

Jessies hakea moth.jpg