Withstanding Bat's Attack!

   While they are probably not the best things to have around the garden, case moths or bag worm moths are pretty intelligent creatures for just being a "dumb caterpillar" (not my description, for sure!).  The tiny caterpillars of these moths have home-building down to a science...literally!  The ingenuous cocoons should be studied by people and perhaps some of the methods could be copied to create sturdier homes.  These "caterpillar cabins" can withstand some pretty vigorous abuse and still stay intact.  

  This morning while Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, and I were out in the garden, I noticed he had scampered up an old birdfeeder stand.  Bat is at that age where everything needs exploring and everything is fair game as a playground.   At the tiptop of the stand, he started batting at something.  On inspection, I found he was smacking a case moth cocoon.  This was one of the first ones that I have ever noticed that was completely made from lichen.  Most are made from leaves or sticks which helps them to blend in with the surroundings.  Well, this stand was lichen covered so the caterpillar chose lichen as a building material.  

  As I mentioned earlier, these critters can make pretty durable homes.  Bat tried his best to dislodge the case from the birdfeeder stand but had no luck.  Soon, he came tumbling down and the case stayed put.  The caterpillar will be happy to know that I will not bother it.  If it can withstand an attack from a crazy cat, it has my approval and can stay in the garden.

The Mobile Home

  I have been surrounded by insects here lately due to our lack of a winter.  Bugs of all types are taking over the Bayou and the surrounding areas.  It seems as if we are going to be in for a summer of critters attacking the garden and us!  Yesterday, I was out doing some last minute gardening before the storms set in for the duration of the weekend.  Last night, today and tonight, the storms are strong and are pelting the Bayou with heavy rains and high winds.  The tide has water way up in the yard so I am housebound.  Yesterday, however, I found a critter that is always housebound.  It lives in its very own little mobile home.

  While out back behind the canebrake, I noticed that one of our peach trees had died.  I knew it had peach borers in the trunk that would slowly kill the tree but had not expected it to do so yet.  This is just another hazard of too many critters and my refusal to use toxic chemicals.  I went to examine the tree to make sure that nothing else had caused its demise when I noticed a tiny critter slowly moving about the trunk.  This little critter had nothing to do with the tree's untimely death but it did catch and hold my attention for a spell.  A serious infestation could cause major damage but one critter is nothing to cause alarm. This was a bagworm.  A bagworm is the larva of the bagworm moth...go figure.  Bagworm moths lay their eggs and once the larva hatches, it begins to build its house.  Most gather leaf fragments, stick shards or other material such as sand to "cement" together to build their tiny mobile homes.  Since the materials used are usually from the same tree or plant where the worm is living, the house also serves as a perfect camouflage.  These little guys are also sometimes called "log cabin worms".  If the worm cuts small twigs for its home, a perfect cabin is created.  Sometimes a specific spiral pattern will be formed making the house a piece of art!  Other bagworm cases so closely resemble small cones that it is hard to distinguish the worm case from an actual cone. 

   I snapped a few photographs for the "Find the Critter" game for the grandlittles then let this little guy (or gal) go in peace.  I may regret that decision later on if I find that soon I have to deal with a bajillion bagworms in the fruit trees.  My mantra of live and let live may come back to bite me!