Web worms – Travel

Q: How do web worms get from the ground up to the leaves on trees? I have actually seen a convoy of these worms crawling up one of my tree trunks!

A: The caterpillars hatch from eggs laid by a moth or butterfly near the site where they feed. Adult insects try to put eggs on the leaves but sometimes they place the eggs on the bark of a tree. That’s why you see the creatures crawling up the trunk: they are trying to get to the leaves so they can start eating.