top of page

LEAF SKELETONIZER CATERPILLAR

Screen Shot 2021-08-30 at 12.01.38 PM.png

Arizona is certainly known for its annual summer monsoons. After a long, hot summer, we welcome the heavy rains, cooling winds, and even the temporary humidity in the air. However, while these storms are characteristic of our desert climate, they are also unpredictable. Some years the monsoon doesn’t seem to show up at all, and other years we are hit with another storm before we have even cleaned up from the last one!

CAUSE & EFFECT:
It is during these years, the heavy monsoon summers, that you may notice a startling change in the normally vibrant yellow bells, orange jubilees, and tecoma sparkys that fill our landscapes. The leaves of these shrubs may appear as dry, skeletonized versions of themselves. This is due to an aptly named pest, the Leaf Skeletonizer Caterpillar. Late in the summer, these insects feast on the upper stems and foliage of these common shrubs. The leaves are not entirely consumed, but instead only a thin, dry frame of the leaf is left behind… along with lots of little black dots (caterpillar feces).

Screen Shot 2021-08-30 at 11.40.57 AM.png
Screen Shot 2021-08-30 at 12.04.19 PM.png

TREATMENT:

Visually it may look like the caterpillars have left the once vibrant, blooming shrub a total loss. But these plants are extremely resilient. The damage is temporary, cosmetic, and can be easily treated with a combination of trimming away some of the effective areas and applying pesticides to eliminate any further feasting. 

Screen Shot 2021-08-30 at 12.31.45 PM.png

LEARN AND GROW

bottom of page