By azhadminKM

Catalpa "Worm" - larval stage

Even though the catalpa worm, Ceratomia catalpae, can quickly defoliate catalpa trees with their sweet tooth for those trees’ foliage, it also provides some benefits to the tree and humans. Mitigating the catalpa worm’s voracious appetite is the catalpa trees’ ability to produce new leaves quickly, even after being completely defoliated three or four times during a single summer. No other tree can withstand this carnage and survive but this onslaught of caterpillars in-turn produces a quantity of dung which fertilizes the tree and everything else in the vicinity of the tree. In addition to this, catalpa worms are prized for fish bait. Their tough skin and tasty innards are perfect for the fisherman’s hook.

By Susan Pierce, Gardener, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium