Category Archives: Nature Notes

Five Remarkable Animal Moms

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Rosemary
copyright Larry Warfield

copyright Larry Warfield

If you decide to celebrate Mother’s Day with a walk at one of our wildlife sanctuaries, you may encounter some remarkable animal mothers.

Keep an eye out for these five maternal creatures, but be sure to observe from afar—remember to give parents and babies plenty of space.

Beavers

Beaver @ Pleasant Valley_Rene LaubachImagine if you had up to nine babies at once, and they could all swim within 24 hours of birth. Welcome to the chaotic life of a beaver mom. These large rodents mate for life, and females give birth between April and June to up to nine kits (though a typical litter is four). Both parents raise the kits, along with a little help from older young who are still living at home.

Eastern Red-backed Salamanders

Eastern red-backed salamander by NPSThese widespread amphibians are surprisingly attentive mothers—at least until their eggs hatch. Female eastern red-backed salamanders lay about 8-10 eggs in June and July in a sheltered area such as under a log. They then guard their eggs from predators for several weeks. Producing and protecting eggs is so exhausting that these moms usually spend two years eating and building up enough energy before they’re ready to have babies.

Piping Plovers

piping_plover_rmoscoFor a piping plover mother, caring for her chicks is an active job. The young birds can run around within hours of hatching. Fortunately, they can also feed themselves right away. They tuck into their parents’ belly feathers from time to time to keep warm, and when this happens, it can look like mom or dad has 10 legs! If a predator approaches, the parents may lure it away by pretending to have a broken wing.

European Honey Bees

honeybee_rmoscoAll of the honey bees in a hive have the same mother: the queen. During the peak of summer, this prolific parent may lay 2,000 eggs a day. Luckily, she has plenty of help at home. Her daughters groom her, feed her, bring her water, and see to her every need—almost like it’s Mother’s Day every day.

American Red Squirrels

red_squirrel_rmoscoWhen an American red squirrel mother falls victim to predators, neighbors may adopt her progeny. These helpful neighbors, who are always relatives of the missing mothers, will visit the now-abandoned nest and carry home a helpless youngster to raise as their own.

The Leaf-Eating, Tree-Damaging, Little Green Caterpillar

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Mass Audubon
Milan Zubrik, Forest Research Institute - Slovakia, Bugwood.org

Winter Moth, Milan Zubrik, Forest Research Institute – Slovakia, Bugwood.org

Remember the little pale green caterpillar that ate through your trees and roses last year? Well, it’s back!

The caterpillar stage of the invasive winter moth (Operophtera brumato) eats young, tender leaves, sometimes before the leaves even get a chance to emerge from the bud.

The winter moth caterpillar is just one of hundreds of species of tiny green caterpillars, or inchworms, found in North America. Most are native and ecologically helpful, even though some, like the winter moth, can be a nuisance.

Identifying Winter Moth Caterpillars

It’s easy to tell winter moths apart from beneficial inchworms. The best way is by looking at the back end of an inchworm: If it has only two pairs of legs on its back end, it’s probably a winter moth. More than two pairs of legs on its back end means it’s probably a “good inchworm” and should be let be.  Winter moths are also stouter than other inchworms, and have a white stripe along the side.

The Moth Stage

Last November and December you might have seen hundreds of moths on cool winter evenings flying around outdoor lights. They were the male moths. They were out looking for vertical surfaces, like tree trunks, to find the virtually wingless females and mate. Once the moths had mated, the females lay their eggs in the craggy bark of the trees.

The Caterpillar Stage

Through the winter months, the tiny eggs lay waiting for the perfect time to emerge. Early spring, when the temperature and day length are just right, the buds of trees start to open. This is also when the tiny pale green inch-worm-like caterpillars of the winter moth emerge. They then eat their way through the leaves while they are still in the emerging bud. The leaves emerge skeletonized with only their veins remaining or if the leaves had a chance to develop the leaves are peppered with holes.

Assessing the Damage

Most trees can handle a year of this leaf eating if there are not other forms of stress such as drought, insect infestation, or too much sun or shade depending on the tree. Often, they can send out a second flush of leaves. Remember trees and all plants need to have leaves; it is where the process of photosynthesis occurs (ie where the plants make their food).

Providing extra water throughout the season will help trees recover from the stress of defoliation and re-foliation,

What You Can Do

Most people ask what they can do about these leaf-eating caterpillars. Sure there are sprays that can eradicate them. But, keep in mind they are not selective. The spray that kills the caterpillar stage of the winter moth also kills all of the butterflies in their caterpillar stage.

Paper or plastic strips covered with a sticky substance are commercially available to create a barrier that entraps the adult females and caterpillars. Though logical, this method has not proven to be effective for major infestations.

One option is to not plant trees that are extremely affected by the winter moth. Instead of vulnerable trees like crabapples, pears, and weeping cherries, try planting native trees. After they are established, (generally a year), they will be more resistant to forms of stress and better able to withstand the damage done by the winter moth caterpillar.

Learn more about what you can do to control winter moths on our website.

Updated July 2018