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Project Noah Nature School
uresiphita reversalis
There were hundreds of these Genista broom moth caterpillars eating french broom plants along the main road near my sisters house. They were approximately 1 inch long. Some of them were surrounded by silk.
Urban housing development landscape area.
The genista caterpillar, Uresiphita reversalis, also called sophora worm, is the larva of the genista broom moth, Lepidoprera pyralidae. Its native range is Nova Scotia to Florida, California, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa and parts of Mexico. It is a tenting caterpillar that uses silk to spin a tent-like form in the plants and trees where it feeds. In large numbers, genistas can defoliate a tree or plant in favorable conditions. Small numbers of them don't cause trees any permanent damage. eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8529805_genista...
Thank you Textless and Carol! It was pretty amazing to see such a large number of them on several plants.
HA!! The last photo! LOL! WOW! I am just happy to find one caterpillar in the meadow. GREAT! A whole family of them. Great photos!
@KarenSaxton: I just read an article that both broom species are a problem in California too.
We so need them here! Scotch broom is rampant - and normal eradication isn't working
@KarenSaxton: they decimated the french broom, so I imagine they would love the scotch as well! :)
Spotted on Oct 10, 2011
Submitted on Nov 19, 2011
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