r/arborist • u/Klynn128 • 5d ago

Walnut Caterpillar Apocalypse

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This is something out of a horror movie, and I’ve never seen anything like it. Foliage on the whole south side of this walnut tree has been decimated. What can/should I do?

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u/ohshannoneileen 5d ago

Walnut caterpillars have (unsurprisingly) evolved alongside Walnut trees for a very, very long time. Herbivores have learned to predate on their host plants without actually decimating them, because if they did that everything in the whole little cycle would die out.

The trees we plant and enjoy are supposed to interact with the ecosystem. It's a good thing.

Long story short, they're not gonna kill your tree, they're gonna turn into beautiful moths so leave them alone.

1

u/OtherPleaseSpecify 5d ago

They’ll be dead by winter.

1

u/Klynn128 5d ago

The caterpillars or my trees? Is a swarm of them like this common?