The Garden Thyme Podcast
A monthly podcast where we help you get down and dirty in your garden, with timely gardening tips, information about native plants, and more! The Garden Thyme Podcast is brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. https://extension.umd.edu/. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
The Garden Thyme Podcast
S04: E09 Stinging Caterpillars
This year, we are taking a break from our spooky plant list to instead talk about a spooky, cute group of insects STINGING CATERPILLARS! Don't let their cuteness fool you; these incredible insects can string if touched, so BEWARE and keep your hands to yourself.
We also have our:
- Bug of the Month – Antlions. (~29:45)
- Native Plant of the Month - Little bluestem- Schizachyrium scoparium (~37:15)
- Garden Tips of the Month (~40:25)
If you have any garden-related questions, please email us at UMEGardenPodcast@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GardenThymePodcas.
For more information about University of Maryland Extension and these topics, please check out the UME Home and Garden Information Center and Maryland Grows Blog at https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/.
University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.
The Garden Thyme Podcast is brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. Hosts are Mikaela Boley- Senior Agent Associate (Talbot County) for Horticulture, Rachel Rhodes- Agent Associate for Horticulture (Queen Anne's County), and Emily Zobel-Senior Agent Associate for Agriculture (Dorchester County).
Theme Song: By Jason Inc
Photos:
- Buck moth caterpillar - David Cappaert, Bugwood.org
- Io Moth Caterpillar- Lacy L. Hyche, Auburn University, Bugwood.org
- Puss moth caterpillar - Lacy L. Hyche, Auburn University, Bugwood.org
- White Flannel moth caterpillar - Lacy L. Hyche, Auburn University, Bugwood.org
- Saddleback caterpillar - Joe Culin, Clemson University, Bugwood.org
- Stinging rose caterpillar- Joe Culin, Clemson University, Bugwood.org
- Hag moth caterpillar - Jerry A. Payne, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
- American dagger moth - Joseph LaForest, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
- Milkweed tussock moth caterpillars - David Cappaert, Bugwood.org
- Antlion - Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org
- Little Bluestem - Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
We currently have an open survey for ALL listeners. Whether you’ve listened to all of our episodes, or this is your first time. We developed an evaluation to determine if the information we share on the podcast has made a difference in your practices at home. We promise that it is a short, easy 5-minute survey, and we even have exclusive podcast stickers to give to those who participate. We are so thankful for the feedback, and we appreciate you tuning in for the podcast!
The Garden Thyme Podcast is brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. Hosts are Mikaela Boley- Principal Agent Associate (Talbot County) for Horticulture; Rachel Rhodes- Senior Agent Associate for Horticulture (Queen Anne's County); and Emily Zobel- Senior Agent Associate for Agriculture (Dorchester County).
Theme Song: By Jason Inc,
University programs, activities, and facilities are available to all without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion, protected veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected class.
Garden Thyme Podcast Transcript
S4:E09 Stinging Caterpillars (Oct 2023)
Note: The Garden Thyme Podcast is produced for the ear and is designed to be heard. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to listen to the audio, which includes emotion and emphasis that's not on the page. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors.
:Up Beat Music:
Rachel
Hello, listener. Welcome to the University of Maryland Extension Presents, the Garden Time Podcast, where we talk about getting down and dirty in your garden. We're your hosts. I'm Rachel.
Mikaela
I'm Mikaela.
Emily
And I'm Emily.
Rachel
In today's episode, it's special one for our favorite month of the year. Listeners, do you know it's Halloween?
Emily
Well, it's technically October, but October is basically Spooky month. I was going to do that month.
Mikaela
Everybody knows October is just the month that houses Halloween.
Rachel
Exactly. And we love all things fall. So October is the month for us. We're going to be talking about things that go bump in the garden. Stinging caterpillars.
Emily
I feel like we have to give a shout out to the person who emailed us in this idea. Somebody emailed in.
Mikaela
Remember the name.
Emily
I can look it up. So shout out to our listener Glenn, who sent us them in an email giving us this idea for this October's podcast. So, hey, Glenn, thanks for listening. We appreciate the email and the idea that we 100% stole for this episode.
Rachel
We stand behind it.
Emily
We do. If you have ideas for future episodes or garden questions, feel free to email us at umegardenpodcast@gmail.com.
Mikaela
But before we get started, we want to remind everyone that we currently have an open survey for all listeners. Whether you've listened to all of our episodes or this is your first time, we developed an evaluation to find out if the information we share on the podcast has made a difference in your practices at home. We promise that this is a short, easy, five minute survey, and we even have an exclusive podcast sticker to give to those who participate. All of us are so thankful for the feedback, and we appreciate you tuning in to the podcast.
Rachel
All right, so let's get a collective hand raise of all of you have played with a bully bear caterpillar. Sure. Yes. 100%. Even to this day, they are so fuzzy and so cute. Who wouldn't want to hold them? Who wouldn't want to put them in their pocket, right, and just carry them around all day long?
Emily
Please note, we do not encourage people to do this. The wooly bears do not like being in your pocket. They don't.
Rachel
But my toddler can't figure that out. But it's undeniable. The fondness for caterpillars undoubtedly come from the reading of Eric Carl's children's book, the Very Hungry Caterpillar. I know that's one of our favorite books to this day. I mean, that's an awesome book about caterpillars. But there's a special group of caterpillars that translates to ouch, ouch, don't touch me, worm, or affectionately named the spicy Fuzzy Rope. They are here to prove that hornets and wasps aren't the only insects on the street that are willing to protect themselves with some firepower. So let's get into it. Stinging caterpillars.
Mikaela
So how do they sting? Is it like a wasp or a hornet? Is their sole purpose to injure us or incapacitate us completely?
Emily
No, not quite.
Mikaela
So, stinging caterpillars have hollow hairs connected to poison sacs. They are very similar to quills in structure, so when the hairs are touched, they pierce the skin and deliver the poison. These hairs are actually something called satay. So think of a tiny, cute little porcupine with poisonous quills and they are very cute.
Rachel
They are adorable.
Emily
I have to say, out of our list of all of the ones that you're commonly going to find here in the mid Atlantic, all of them are really cool looking caterpillars. They make equally cool looking moths.
Mikaela
Yeah.
Rachel
Yes, they are. And I can see why they are often mistaken for friendly caterpillars, because they are so cute.
Mikaela
So how painful can the sting really be? It really varies depending on the type of species you're running into. It can be anywhere from mild or itchy to severe pain, swelling, blistering and other dermatological issues.
Rachel
It's important to note that these stinging stages are exclusive to the caterpillar life stage. The adult butterfly or moth does not have hairs that will cause rash or pain. It's also important to note that these caterpillars are very distinctive looking, but if you are ever in doubt, opt not to touch or handle them well.
Emily
And I think it's worth noting that even non venomous caterpillars a lot of times when we handle them, because caterpillars are what we call a soft bodied insect. Even if you think you're being gentle, you're so much larger than it, chances are you're probably going to cause it harm unless it's just crawling on you when you're putting like any tired of picking up or touching, you're likely to damage that caterpillar. Now, if it's something like hornworms that you're rubbing off your tomato plant, you may not care if you damage that caterpillar, but in this case, these are all ones that you're going to find in more natural settings. And we value them for the role they play in our ecological systems.
Mikaela
Thanks, Emily. You're so wise. That's why we like having you on.
Rachel
I know insects.
Emily
I honestly can probably identify a plant better if someone brings me an insect that feeds on it and I'd be like, oh, I know what this insect is. It's probably this.
Mikaela
So we're going to cover a few species that are commonly found stinging caterpillars, at least in the mid Atlantic region. We can't speak for other parts of the United States or other parts of the you know. Fortunately, we have a lot of species diversity here in Maryland and we're able to talk about at least what we see. So it should be noted that many of these species are actually gorgeous in adult form. So as scary as the caterpillars may seem, or as angry as you might get, if you accidentally brush up against one of them, please do not squish or kill them. They are beneficial insects that add to the beauty of our nature in our environment.
Emily
I would say that just because you find one of these on your property as well doesn't necessarily mean that you need to freak out and remove all your plants or hose down your porch. Pretty much most of these caterpillars are going to have spines that contain their poison or venom glands on them, so it's not like they're shedding things that are going to get into your skin. Outside of that, you have to actually come in contact with them for them to become ouchy worms.
Mikaela
And people will ask about controlling these on their property. But again, their populations and their numbers are not so high that we consider them a pest population. And honestly, they're so cool, I would just leave them and just note that anytime you're dealing out in the garden, especially in the fall, if you're doing fall cleanup and things like that, it's to wear gloves, long sleeves, if you're really worried about it. But honestly, I haven't touched one yet, knock on wood and I'm out there quite a bit, so hopefully you won't either.
Emily
I got nailed by one of these once.
Mikaela
Was that puss?
Emily
It was saddleback my jeans because it was on corn. Oh, no. It was comparable to a bee sting. By the next day, the swelling had gone down and it was like a rash. People will have different allergic reactions to it. So just note that if you are allergic to bee venom, you may potentially be more allergic to these. But I've never heard of someone going into anaphylactic shock over one of these caterpillars.
Mikaela
And so I get to start off the list here with buck moth, which comes from the giant silkworm family, actually. So these caterpillars are about two inches long and they look like they were made for Halloween. The body is covered with branched black spikes, with purplish black bodies covered in yellow spots, and the branched spines are hollow and of course, connected to those venom glands. They resemble a lot to fertili caterpillars. And so, again, this is one of those species where it could be very easily confused between the two.
Emily
It might be that you have to.
Mikaela
Identify what the host species is that they're on, but when in doubt, just don't touch them. So these are commonly found in oak or willow trees, which we have a lot of here, and the caterpillars feed on the foliage of oaks and other host plants, but rarely cause any damage to any of these host plants. These have one generation per year, with the caterpillars usually being found in early summer, mainly in June. Now, the adult buck moths emerge in the fall to mate and lay eggs. The adult moths have a wingspan of about two to three inches, and the black semitransparent wings have a white band and a prominent eye marking on the forewings. The body is stout and hairy with a grayish black abdomen and reddish orange or dark coloration at the tip. And adult buck moths have no functional mouth parts and do not feed, which is a characteristic of the giant silkworm family. It's a very cool looking moth. The adult is probably my favorite on this list.
Emily
I feel like your husband would like you this because it's called the buck moth, and it gets that name because it comes out during deer hunting season.
Mikaela
Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah.
Emily
I wondered what the note about deer hunting? I don't know how true that is, but I read it someplace where they're like, they get the sting because it's like when the bucks are out, these are out.
Rachel
That makes a lot of sense, though.
Emily
So keep an eye out for the.
Mikaela
Adult form about this time of year.
Rachel
Yeah. So we're going to talk about what is it like eight different stinging caterpillars, and one of the primary host plants for most of them are going to be oak trees. So this is the single best insect friendly plant species, and they support over 930 caterpillars species nationwide. So that's why we say, oh, one of the hosts is going to be oak. Oak is a great tree for our caterpillar and moth species.
Emily
Yeah, that's a good reminder. It is, yeah. So I'm going to do our next one, which is the Iomoth, and this one is a gorgeous, gorgeous caterpillar. We're going to say that for all of these ones, but this one is definitely super striking. So this one is found all across the eastern United States, all the way from southern Canada down to northern Mexico, east of the Rockies, I would say. And the caterpillar is a very pretty pale green to yellow, and it starts off being yellow in the first instars and then can turn green later on. But as it grows, it ends up getting these red and white lines down the sides of it. And the whole thing is covered by these branching yellow green spines that will have little bits of black at the tip. So it's very pretty, but it very much is saying, do not touch me, do not swallow me, because it's more likely that it's a defense mechanism for birds than for your small children, although sort of works for both. You can commonly find this on roses, willow, lindens, elms, oak, locusts, apple, beach ash, and clover.
Mikaela
So a wide range, wide range of.
Emily
Post plants, which is going to be something that pops up. I don't think any of the ones we have here are super exclusive to any one given thing.
Mikaela
There's one.
Emily
There's one. Okay. I actually think this might be one of my favorite I'm going to say this to all of them, where it's my favorite adults. I think this is probably one of the more charismatic adults. A lot of the other ones are pretty, but pretty in a more unique way versus this one is a very iconic adult you're going to have large adults because, again, this is another of those giant silk worms. So one to three inches wingspan. The females are a little bit more drabber compared to our males. She's going to be more of a red brown coloration with some dots, but the males are going to be a golden yellow to a tan brown, depending on the coloration. And they're going to have these massive hidden eye spots on their hind wing that oftentimes are circled in black to dark brown with red. So they are really they're gorgeous.
Mikaela
Rachel, I think this is your favorite, if I had to guess.
Rachel
This guy is definitely one of my favorite. And I love to get reports from around our county or surrounding counties. When it comes out. I like people to bring it into me just so I can keep it in my insect cage for a little bit and see it play with it. Well, I don't play with it, but you know what I mean. Look from afar. So if you're wondering what caterpillar I'm talking about, it's the Pus caterpillar, and this is the Southern Plannel moth. And if you're wondering what this caterpillar looks like, think about a giant hairy eyebrow that can crawl across a plant, because that's exactly what this caterpillar does. Seriously. Or it looks like someone's grandpa comb over or tupay that just kind of just sits there on top of their head and big and fluffy. This is the hairiest caterpillar on our list, and its shades go from tan to brown to orange and maybe even some shades of black in there. There are numerous short spines beneath the longer hair that deliver a sting with a punch. The sting severity is proportional to the size of the caterpillar. So young caterpillars often feed in groups, and they can be found on various shrubs or trees, including apple, elm, maple, hackberry, oak and sycamore.
Rachel
Now, if you thought that the caterpillar was cute, the adult moth is equally adorable in my point of view. So they have a coat of scales mixed with fine curly hairs that give this moth somewhat like wooly appearance. But when I see them, I think about the cat from the movie Puss and Boots when he's standing and staring at you with those big black eyes, and he's like this little ginger kitty. These moths have the biggest eyes, and they're just so fluffy. They are just amazing. And they're so small. You wouldn't expect something that's so small to be so adorable, but they have really stout little bodies that are generally that cream to gingery color, and they have a wingspan of not even a full inch, so they usually about an inch to an inch and a third. And they can be found from New Jersey to Florida all the way west to Arkansas and Texas. Top ten favorite stinging caterpillar. But I can't speak for the group.
Emily
I mean, we only have ten on the list that they're all.
Mikaela
Those statistics work really well.
Rachel
So our next stinging caterpillar is the white flannel maw. And if you could describe this caterpillar, it would be what if a clown was a caterpillar? That's the flannel moth. It has a yellow body and it's marked with black and red stripes with eleven pairs of raised yellow tufts between the hairs. And they have dark, long, silky hairs and they do not deliver a sting. But the tusks, that's where you get the bang for your buck right there. You can find these on redbud honey locusts, hackberry, mimosa and beach. Late in the summer, the fully grown caterpillars overwinter in a strong cocoon on the bottom of a trunk or a branch of the host plant before pupating in the spring. And the females cover their eggs with abdominal hairs to kind of protect them a little bit. The adult is absolutely adorable. It's a white fluffy moth, and it emerges sometime during the summer in the United States. It can be found from Washington DC. South to Florida, and all the way west to Montana and Texas. So it really has a very big range, and it can even extend further south through Central and South America.
Emily
So the next caterpillar on our list is one of my personal favorites, and it's one that I've actually gotten stung by, but I still love it because I still think they're super cute, and that is the saddleback caterpillar. So there's no good way to describe this one, except that it indeed looks like it has a saddle. So the caterpillars are going to be about three, four, an inch long when they're in their final stage or their final instar. And they have what we would call a slug like body form, which just means that they're a little bit short and rounded and stout compared to a lot of us are used to the long, thinner caterpillars. These guys are a little short, a little chunky. The front and the rear of the caterpillar are going to be brown, and then they're going to have this green marking with a brown saddle in the middle of it. And the green marking and the brown saddle are also going to be outlined in white. So it is a very striking caterpillar with some really unique marks. Now you're going to have these predominant horns on both the front and the rear, and this is where you're going to find the CD that will deliver that stain.
Emily
And then you're going to have smaller ones along the side of the caterpillar, but they're going to be closer to the bottom of the caterpillar than the top. So this is another one where while it looks pretty, it's not hiding its stingers and fluff or fuzz. You know that there are some definite ouchies on this one. They've been reported to feed on more than 40 plant families and numerous species within those families. So some common ones that you would find them on in the landscape environment would be things like basswood, chestnut, cherry, plum, and oak, just to name a few. So the adults are cute, though. I feel like we're going to say that with all of these, they're cute. But this is one of the few.
Mikaela
Examples where the caterpillar definitely outshines the adult.
Emily
Yeah. So the adults are fuzzy and dark brown with some cinnamon and white tiny spots on them. You'll typically find the adults emerging in spring and summer, and the caterpillars will normally be seen kind of late summer into the autumn. So right about now, you could probably still find these out if you hunt for them. But again, they're not as common as, say, things like wooly bears or hornworms. So you do tend to find these caterpillars feeding more on the underside of leaves than on the top side, making them a little bit trickier to find.
Rachel
I feel like this is one that actually screams don't touch me.
Emily
Yeah, this one pretty obviously does not want you to touch it. Those spines are out there in the open.
Rachel
Yeah.
Emily
So I'm going to take the next one on our list. And I think this one is actually, despite having never seen this one, like the saddleback, this might be my favorite just because of the weirdness factor. Like, this one was made for Halloween.
Mikaela
I told Emily she had to take this one because it is made for Halloween.
Rachel
It is. I think it's a more exuberant caterpillar.
Emily
Yeah.
Mikaela
Yeah.
Emily
This one is just out of this world. Like, this is alienish looking in my mind. It's the Hag moth, also known as the monkey slug moth caterpillar. And if you like Halloween, this one is Odball out there for you. So Kayla thinks it looks like a fairy tale. I think it may have actually come out of someone's nightmare. But I'm here for the horror movies, so I love it just for that. It is a master of camouflage and resembles a dried, crumple up leaf, so that's its defense mechanism. But it's fuzzy at the same time, so it's going to be brown and hairy. But it's got pairs of these fleshy appendages that are on the front and sides of it. So if you look at it from above, it's sort of very, I almost think, flattened, rectangular starfish look from above. But those appendages can curl up, making it look even weirder and more twisted like. It's worth noting that these appendages are somewhat leg like looking, but they actually are not used for movement. And the caterpillar has its true legs and pro legs underneath its body.
Mikaela
So it's purely for camouflage.
Emily
Yeah, it's purely just for camouflage, which makes it kind of cool. As if this isn't weird enough, those appendages only go about halfway down its side. And if you were to lift those appendages up or look at it from the side view underneath those appendages, it's bright yellow and it is bare and hairless. And that is where you are going to find the tufts of short, stout, hollow spines that connect to their venom glands. So this is one that touching the top of it wouldn't necessarily cause a sting, but the sides would. But we still recommend don't touch it at all.
Mikaela
Better yet, take a picture and send it to us because we will be crazy about it.
Emily
Yeah. Please send us all the pictures of all of these that you guys find. We would love it. We will showcase them all on our Facebook if you give us permission. So I think just from Coolness Factor, I kind of really love I'm a little let down that I haven't seen a horror movie based on these.
Rachel
Oh, they'll there's probably one out there.
Emily
I'm pretty good at searching my bug horror movies, but I haven't seen one for this. But that's not to say that it's not. So if you know of one, shoot it to us in an email. So you commonly find these in the late summer, and they're associated with trees and shrubs such as chestnut, dogwood, sassafas, ash, and oak. The moth is equally as cool looking, but it's definitely one of those super camouflagey ones. So your moth is you're probably less likely to notice it's going to be stout and furry. And it's kind of got random patches of tan to brown to dark brown in like a wavy line type pattern. What I think is really cute is that they have these big large patches of white on their middle pair of legs. So it's this very camo colored moth and then these big white patches on.
Mikaela
Its it's the boots with the fur.
Emily
Definitely bringing back 2008. It's Mikhail and Emily.
Mikaela
Am I dating myself?
Emily
We are super enthusiastic about this topic, guys, and we hope that you are loving it as much as we are because all of these are so cool.
Mikaela
I know. I'm super psyched about this one, although I'm not optimistic that I'll ever see it in person. It's the stinging rose caterpillar moth. And so the adult looks very much like a leaf. Speaking about camouflage, it's really cute. They have light green wings with these patches of brown along the edge of the wings that look like a leaf that's crispy on the edges.
Rachel
It's an adorable moth.
Emily
Yeah.
Mikaela
But now the caterpillar is like a neon sign for don't touch me. It's really neat looking, but the caterpillar itself is about an inch long, maybe a little less. It really does pack a punch. Apparently it has seven pairs of these spine covered yellow horns, and each spine is filled with those erdicating fluids that make you stink. And it also has black, white, orange, and red lines running along the back inside. So all these like racing stripe colors along the edges. So in later summer, each of these caterpillars spins a cocoon, which they will spend the fall, winter and then come emerge in the spring. And the stinging rose caterpillars feed on apple, bayberry, cherry, chestnut, dogwood, hickory, maple, paw, paw, pear, plum, poplar, rose, and, of course, oak. Trace. You were waiting for it. You thought I wasn't going to say oak, but I did. However, we won't see these very often because this species is fairly rare. So many people are unlikely to find it or come into contact with it. But the ones that do will definitely remember it well, because it's cool looking.
Emily
And they were smart enough not to touch it. Yeah.
Rachel
All right, next up in the fun world of fuzzy stinging caterpillars is the American dagger moth. And this caterpillar, it might be like a number eight in the fuzziness scale of stinging caterpillars, but it is equally as adorable. So this fuzzy caterpillar has medium length yellow, yellow, green, even kind of whiteish fuzz. And then they have four very elegant, slender black pencil sati that extend out from the first and third abdominal segments. So think about just a bushy, fuzzy yellow, bob shag haircut with four little slender spikes coming out. It is reputed that these pencils may break off and become embedded into the skin. Toxins supposedly inside the hairs are reputed to cause a stinging sensation that may develop into a rash. The caterpillars grow to about two inches and are often found on the soil near their host trees from July to even into late October. And they feed on the leaves of elder, ash, elm, oak, maple, willow and other hardwood trees. Adult moths are pretty inconspicuous. They have a grayish to white color, and the wings are marked with faint black zigzags and narrow black rings. Near the edge of each wing, a faint white band is along the edge of the forewing, and it's marked with black spots.
Rachel
It's most active from spring to early autumn.
Emily
Such a cool one.
Rachel
It's a beautiful little caterpillar.
Mikaela
Probably one of the more common ones we run into, or at least, I guess, what I see.
Rachel
Yeah, I think so.
Mikaela
Yeah. All right, so I'm going to briefly cover we call them the tusset caterpillars. It's actually a group of moths, and now they don't have as painful a sting as some of the other ones we've mentioned, but they can cause a rash and itching so I'm briefly just going to cover a couple of the more common species you might run into. Hickory tussic is most commonly found caterpillars that are more apparent in the fall, sometimes in larger numbers. So about this time of year, and these caterpillars go through several instars, but the largest caterpillars are covered in white and black SETI with the black hairs arranged in tufts along the back.
Emily
This is one that I've definitely had people send me pictures in, not so much because they've touched it and gotten stung, but like, hey, I found this weird caterpillar. What does it look like?
Mikaela
Yeah, there's a lot of variation, and usually it's like tufts of hairs in different colors that are arranged in a pattern down its back, obviously ranging in color. But it's a really interesting group of mods. Now, the other one I have to mention, because we're talking Halloween colors, is the Milkweed Tussock caterpillar. So this doesn't get as much attention as the Monarch caterpillar. And it's really a shame, because in appearances, I think they're almost somewhat more attractive. They can be found during the summer, but they're more easily found in late summer and early fall. These are also sometimes referred to as the milkweed Tiger moths due to the orange, black and white striping. And they are covered in dense tufts of SETI that look like they always have a bad hair day. They do. The tufts of hair go against each other. They kind of stick out. So it looks like somebody who's having a really bad hair day. But I have some cool, fun facts about Milkweed Tusset caterpillars.
Emily
We're here for them.
Mikaela
Yeah. So these moths actually have an organ that emits an ultrasonic sound, specifically to warn bats, who are a primary predator of their noxious flavor. So they tell the bats, don't eat me using ultrasonic sound. Don't eat me. I'm full of terrible stuff, because, like monarchs, they feed on milkweed. And so the caterpillars have an accumulation of these toxic glycosides in their system. And that is so cool.
Emily
That's very cool.
Rachel
That's so awesome.
Mikaela
I have never heard of an insect being able to do that. So these are just as native as the Monarch caterpillars and should be left alone. I think some people get concerned that they will eat too much of the milkweed and there won't be any left for the Monarch caterpillars. So just keep in mind, these are also native, also beneficial, and usually there's enough to go around. If not, it's just another incentive to plant more milkweed so that you can support more robust caterpillar populations.
Emily
So what should a person do if they get stung by one of these venomous caterpillars? So, first and foremost, you should immediately wash the affected area and remove any insect hairs or vines that were made. A good thing that you can actually use for this would be something like duct tape or some other tape that you can roll across the area. Sometimes will help pull out hairs, because you're not going to necessarily be able to brush hairs off, so that might help remove some of them. An ice pack will help reduce swelling, and creams or lotions that contain steroids will lessen the discomfort. Please keep in mind that we are not medical professionals, and if you need medical attention, you should seek it from a doctor or urgent care. People with known sensitivity to insect stings should consult their medical care provider immediately. The site of contact may remain painful and sore for several days. So our advice is, if. It looks soft and fuzzy. It's always safe not to touch.
Mikaela
Look but don't touch, look but not touch.
Emily
This just makes me think of all the videos where it's like ferocious cats and it's like we know you want to boop the nose, but don't boop the nose.
Rachel
If friends shaped, why so bad?
Emily
Yeah, no. So quick question. What lives in a pit snares innocent prey and then sucks them dry before throwing them back out of the pit?
Mikaela
Vampires, possibly.
Emily
It's a perfect Halloween spooky insect for you guys. This is ant lions. This insect is in the order Neuroptra which is the net wing insects and the family is Mermiliana Day. So when it comes to ant lions, there's about 2000 species found worldwide. But we have about 13 species that have been found in Maryland. Probably only about eight of them are commonly found though, so these do undergo complete metamorphosis. You're going to have an egg that hatches to a larvae with several instars that'll then pupate and then you'll have an adult stage. They are found all over the United States in various habitats, but they're most common in dry sandy habitats where the larvae can easily create these iconic death pits. Death pits? It's worth noting that not all of the species build the death pits, but all of them are predacious. The ones that don't build the pits would be considered ambush predators. So they'll conceal themselves under leaves, litter or debris, pieces of woods, or hide in cracks amongst rocks and spring out and jump at their prey. For this case, the pits are super cool. So I'm just going to talk about the pit ones though.
Emily
The larvae of antlers are a tan to brown color, so they're dirt colored, so very camouflageous, and they look like they almost have a layer of dust or sand clinging to them. They're about a half an inch long. During their last instar phase, their body is going to be wedge shaped, meaning that they've got a very narrow small head and a really big abdomen. So they do have think of them as like a big butted insect as I like to call it.
Mikaela
Like got a fat bottom.
Emily
Yeah, bottom insects for sure.
Mikaela
Fat bottom bugs make the world.
Emily
They do.
Rachel
Our next hashtag hashtag bug.
Emily
Bottom bug.
Mikaela
I love it.
Emily
The one thing that you're not going to mistaken these guys for being a friendly insect, however, is that they have very large mandibles or teeth that extend from the front of their head and their mandibles are about as long as their head, if not longer. Like their teeth are massive. There's no way you're going to look at this insect and not realize that it is predatorial. So the larvae are known for this really interesting predaceous habit of spending time digging these pits that they basically use to trap passing by prey insects. They are also known as doodle bugs because of this process of building pits. So what happens is they basically will walk backwards and kind of sway their abdomen back and forth in like a wide circle, creating this spiral trail. And again, they do this in soft, loose, standius soil. So as they do this, they kind of start to bury themselves. And then once they've buried themselves up to about their head, they will continue to do this, but then they start flinging the sand with their head and this basically creates a pit that's about one to two inches across and one to two inches deep, and it takes them about 15 minutes to build this death print.
Emily
Once built, the ant lion will hang out at the bottom of this pit with those slender mandibles hanging out wide in the open, waiting for prey. So mostly ants, but other insects will become food for the waiting ant lion as they trudge across the sandy surface of the edge of the pit. They will eventually slip in and then as they scramble to get their footing, to crawl back up, this will basically cause loose grains of sand and soil along the sides of the pit to get loosened. This causes them to slide further and further down, as well as lets the ant lion know that prey is in the pit. As the ant lion feels kind of the sand falling down, it will resume that flipping motion that it used to build the pit, pelting the innocent ant with soil, causing it to slide further and further down. So as the ant's frantically trying to scramble out of this pit, the ant lion is throwing more soil on it, causing it to basically not be able to get out of this pit. Once the prey reaches the bottom of the pit, the ant lion basically grabs it with its massive mandibles, seizes it and quickly pulls it under the surface of the soil, injects it with a venom which causes it to become paralyzed and then drains it dry.
Emily
Once it's done, the antline will then throw the shriveled up carcass of the insect outside of the pit. Because we want to keep our homes clean, guys. We don't want dead bodies piling up in our death pit. During their lifetime, ant lions will make several of these pits and they'll repeat this process over and over again. Because of the sit and weight is very low, metabolism wise, it can take alliance anywhere from one year to three to even five years to pupate, which they do underground, and then they emerge as adults.
Mikaela
That's crazy.
Emily
I know, it is.
Rachel
That's such a long time.
Emily
It is.
Mikaela
I had no idea.
Emily
Yeah. It's worth noting that since they live inside these pits, you're not going to really see these larvae wandering around your garden. And your best bet is to look for the pits and then to sift them out using a scoop or a funnel. And you need to go about an inch deep and then sift them out. And you could see them, you could observe them. But again, these guys are great biocontrol for their garden. They're really good for the environment. So we do recommend you go ahead and put them back in your garden after you've observed them.
Mikaela
I tried to trigger one the other day, no success. But I didn't try very hard. But I'm fascinated by it. I kind of want to go back, although I'm pretty sure their home is destroyed now. The rain probably did it.
Emily
So they do pupate in the ground and then they will emerge as adults. And as ferocious as the larvae look, the adults are like the opposite. They're actually rather delicate looking. A lot of people tend to confuse them with damsel flies, but they're even more soft and delicate looking than a damsel fly would be. They do have a relatively short lifespan, especially compared to those larvae. They can be about two inches long, and they are going to have a long, narrow abdomen, the same way a damselfly would. But I actually think it's even more delicate looking. And then you're going to have translucent wings with that net like pattern across to it. They are going to be really weak flyers, and you'll most likely see the adults flying dusk or right after dark. And a lot of times they will be attracted to people's lights at nighttime.
Mikaela
Are they curpuscular? They are curuscular.
Emily
Good use of a word from a few episodes ago.
Mikaela
I keep toting that around, I don't know, using it when I can.
Emily
I love it. So some of the adults don't feed at all, but the ones that do feed tend to eat either pollen, nectar, or some are perdacious as well. So these guys are not harmful to us and control is not necessary. So there's some really cool videos of these guys building their death traps, and they're just a really cool, spooky little insect. So I love them. And that's my bug of the month.
Mikaela
They do look ferocious.
Emily
Yeah.
Rachel
I can't believe you've never done this plant before.
Mikaela
I can't believe it either. I'm really ashamed, actually. So my name Pick of the Month is Little Blue Stem, which is no surprise that it is a native type of grass. Let me try and pronounce the name here. Skizachrium Scaparium.
Emily
Good job.
Mikaela
Okay. I cannot believe that this plant has not made the list yet. What have I been doing with my life? So, Little Blue Stem is probably one of my top three grass picks for the landscape.
Emily
I call it the native grass for.
Mikaela
People who don't like grasses. In fact, I just talked about it this morning. I feel like I talk about it every day. So Little Blue Stem only stands about one to 3ft tall, and this is a clumping grass. It's a warm season perennial that has attractive bluish leaves in the summer. That transition to striking colors come about September, October in the fall, the stems and the leaves turn a riot of orange and red. And then when the seed heads come out, they're very fluffy and they're kind of crescent shaped. So just on so many levels, we've got the color, we've got the texture. It's just a really striking plant. So as well as providing cover for wildlife, this grass is also the larval host plant for various butterflies and moths. And who knew that native grasses could be such pollinator plants? So just another reason to include them in the landscape. But little blue stem performs best in average dry to medium soils and full sun. It will not tolerate too wet or too shady environments, but it is great for infertile or tough soils as well as clay. So it's very clay soil tolerant.
Mikaela
It's also really good for drought resistance and has even a little bit of salt tolerance, which is good news for US coastal counties. So now is a perfect time to visit native gardens or arboretums to get a little bit of inspiration for fall planting. It's very likely that you'll find little blue stem not only in a natural landscape, but featured in botanical gardens as well. Honestly, I think the straight species is spectacular enough, but there are some really great varieties out there available commercially, like Standing Ovation, Blaze, and Twilight Zone. I believe Twilight Zone has more of a purplish tinge rather than red, and but honestly, I'd get all of them. So unless you live in a swamp or in complete shade, everybody should have little blue stem. I fully believe that they even containerize well. So you don't even need to have a yard to grow one. You just have to have a correct size container.
Emily
Nice. That's a great native plant.
Rachel
Oh, my God.
Emily
That you have never done it because it's one of.
Mikaela
Yeah.
Emily
I cannot believe you were saving it for the perfect episode. And this is your perfect episode.
Rachel
You bring shame to the podcast.
Emily
Shame.
Mikaela
Shame. All right.
Emily
Okay, Rachel, do you have some tips with your best shot? Come on.
Rachel
All the singing and funniness today. I kind of feel like you guys already know what my tips are going to be because I feel like I say this. Every October, I'm going to add more bulbs to my garden. What about you? Let's see. So if you're thinking about doing spring bulbs, now's the time to plant them. So go ahead, ravage your home and garden store. Search online, find some unique bulbs. You're going to be looking for tulips and daffodils and crocus and alums. And each year I love to find a new variety, a new bulb that's available. I like to dig them up and replant them and move them to different spots just to see what they look like.
Emily
Anyway.
Rachel
So I'm going to be adding some miniature daffodils this year. Then they have a mature height of about six inches, so not too big, not too small and some double early tulips that are pink and purple. But hey, the world is your oyster for bulbs. All right, it's the ideal time to divide our native perennials that are dying back. I prefer to do this in the fall rather than the spring because it allows the new plant to set a good set of healthy roots before we head into winter and then in the heat of the summer. And you need to think about doing this four to six weeks before your first frost. So pull out your frost guide, figure out when it is, and then count back four to six weeks. If you did any ground layering of hydrangeas in June or July, now would be the time to check those plants and see if they can be separated or moved. You can always put them directly into the ground, or you can put them in a container and give them away to a friend, whatever you want to do. But now's the time to check them.
Rachel
It's also seed collection time. I always have one raised bed full of annual flowers from zinnias to cosmos to marigold. Now it's time to cut those seed head backs. When the plants are dry, put those seed heads in a label container, and then put them in the CRISPR of your refrigerator for the next year. I've done this every year for many, many seasons. The key is to make sure that the plants have dried all the way down, because if they're not dry, you're going to grow mold in your CRISPR. This is also a perfect time to collect seed heads from our perennial plants, but you want to remember to leave some for our wildlife. Many of our perennial plants need cold stratification in nature. Certain conditions are needed in order for seeds to germinate, and some seeds require a warm, moist treatment, while others require a cool and wet treatment. Therefore, knowing what seeds require, what to break dormancy is critical before beginning any seed stratification project, and I know Michaela is the expert on this. Michaela, what are the seeds that you would suggest people look for and collect in the fall?
Mikaela
Pretty much anything that bloomed six to eight weeks ago, just like Rachel said, making sure that they are dry and brown. Do not go harvest seeds right after rainfall, which is sometimes hard in the fall because it feels wet a lot. But there's a lot of native plants, especially grasses, as we get later into the season.
Rachel
Here.
Mikaela
Joe pie weed
Emily
There's a whole variety.
Mikaela
But as you're talking about stratification, just think about what Mother Nature provides them naturally and sort of emulate that either in the fridge, if you can, or you can just use nature to her advantage and sow those seeds directly and let them sit out this fall and winter and then wait for germination in the spring.
Rachel
Yeah, I like to do it in a small container so that I know what is a perennial seedling versus what is a weed seed, just so that I know the difference, because sometimes I'm not paying attention to when they first germinate, just to kind of make sure that I'm not growing a really pretty lamb squarter versus a black eyed Susan.
Emily
That would 100% be me.
Mikaela
Yeah, some weeds are really pretty.
Rachel
They are purple. Dead nettle.
Emily
Yeah.
Rachel
I love you, boo.
Mikaela
Love you, boo.
Rachel
All right, so just like the earworm we've taught our children, it's cleanup time, people. That means you. It's time to clean up your vegetable garden if you're not growing cool season crops. So for the love of your garden, rip out your disease plants. Don't compost them. Disinfect your tomato cages. We don't want all the diseases that you can carry on your tomato plants from year to year to year. So remove all the dirt and the debris, spray it down with a hose, because dirt and debris can actually deactivate your cleaning solution. And then mix up a ten to one bleach solution, nine parts water, one part bleach, and spray down your metal cages and wipe them off with your bleach solution. If you're using wooden steaks, you need to soak them for about 30 minutes and then let them dry in the sun. And also, a really good fall tip is if you aren't growing any cool season crops, to make sure that your garden soil has been covered. You can do this with a cover crop or any type of lasagna gardening just to make sure that your soil is staying in place over the winter and it's not washing off into our local waterways.
Rachel
If you're cleaning up, you might as well organize your garden tools while you're doing it. Make sure that they're cleaned and sharpened. Clean off that debris, that extra soil. Drain your hoses and put them away. All the cleanup tasks.
Mikaela
Well, that's all we have for this episode listener. We hope you enjoyed it, and will tune in next month for more garden tips. If you have any garden related questions, please email us at umegardenpodcast@gmail.com or look us up on Facebook at garden thyme podcast. That's garden. T-H-Y-M-E for more information about the University of Maryland Extension and these topics, please check out the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center website at go dot U-M-E backslash H– G- I- C. Thanks for listening, and have fun getting down and dirty in your garden. Goodbye.
Rachel
The Garden Thyme Podcast is a monthly podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Extension. Mikaela Boley, senior agent associate for Talbot County. Rachel Rhodes, senior agent associate for Queen Anne County, and Emily Zobel, senior agent associate for Dorchester County.
Emily
Programs, activities and facilities are available to all without regards to race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, religion protected, veteran status, genetic information, personal appearance, or any other legally protected classroom.
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