9.18.2002
I'm still battling the worms today (see yesterday). I'm spurred on by the thought that these caterpillars will soon transform into moths which will again lay eggs. I don't want this happening inside my house. Also, every crack that an oakworm can crawl through will be an entryway for cold come winter.This is, after all, a case of nature coming through the cracks. We try to keep her out, to keep our lives from the messiness that ensues. The worms are compelled to crawl upwards, and likewise, they are compelled to drop down again on fine strings. The worm becomes a moth becomes a worm becomes a moth. They just crawl and eat and drop and cocoon and lay eggs and pupate.
We build walls and flooring and roofs to keep all this messiness outside where it belongs.
When I lived in Mexico we had stick walls and palapa roofs and no glass in our 'windows'. The line between outdoors and indoors was very fine. Our indoors did nothing to hold back the night. Gossamer netting was the thin line of defence between scorpions, mosquitos and us. Crabs, giant black ants, and fighting red ants marching across the kitchen counter while I prepared meals was normal; checking the bedding and clothing for scorpions routine; boa constrictors in the roof considered lucky -- no mice.
I was used to all that once, and was proud that I lived that way. I still admire that style of living. But right now I'm glad it's my front door covered in worms and not my mosquito netting.
posted by Lisa Thompson 10:43 PM
9.17.2002
You know I love nature -- I love living in a place where I can observe nature firsthand. I'm priveledged to watch acorn woodpeckers and osprey and chipmunks while I work. Today I saw river otters at play in the bay, but there's a *darker side too.phryganidia californica
Damn them! Oak trees border my entire house and line my driveway. Thus, there are lots and lots of little california oakworms hanging around. They drop out of the sky on their silky threads. They drop on cars they drop on heads. A couple of weeks ago I'd find the occassional caterpillar transported into the house by me or my dog, but it turns out that that was just the beginning. They're really quite small and so I didn't really mind scooping them up onto the back of an envelope, opening the door and shaking them out into the world.
Sunday, I found three caterpillars on my bedspread at different times throughout the day. Hmmmm, I wondered. The first couple of times I thought that perhaps the worms had crawled out of clothes I'd taken off and carelessly laid upon the bed. But that third time I turned a wary eye up at the ceiling.
Yesterday I found that the front door and all of the outside walls of my house were covered in the little caterpillars. That was creepy. Today I came home from a day of kayaking to find the little buggers all over the inside of my house. Extremely creepy. I have scooped approximately 50 of them in the past 3 hours -- at least 6 or 7 of them from my bedroom or from the top of my bed.
California oakmoths are partial to oak although they will attack other hardwoods if needbe. The moths laid their eggs here in June and July. The caterpillars emerged in the last couple of weeks. They feed at night and during these indian summer hot days apparently they seek shade. And I'm it. A second generation of moths will occur in October or November whose progeny will hatch and overwinter as larvae on the bottoms of the leaves -- whatever leaves are left.
I've also been wondering about the small golden-colored balls dropping out of the trees. I thought that this was something the trees were shedding. I hear them falling all day and all night when I'm outdoors. It sounds a lot like a steady but slow rain. They turn out to be called frass -- they are the droppings from the voracious worms. The droppings will grow in size as the caterpillars grow. That's good to know. I'll be able to keep track of them easily.
Large oakmoth infestations are cyclical, apparently 2000 was a big year. The oaks can't take several years of heavy defoiliation in a row, and it's not wise for an insect to wipe out it's source of nourishment. I haven't heard that this is a big year areawide -- but it's a big year here at my place.
I hope I didn't startle my neighbors just now. I hosed down the outside of my house by the headlights of my truck. So much for not killing anything -- I guess I reached my limit.
*"darker side" is a bit strong. Let's just call this the less glamorous side of nature.
posted by Lisa Thompson 10:27 PM
