Based on the website http://www.prairie-elements.ca/chokecherry.html there is a variety of insects that could be eating the leaves :beetles, sucking insects, moth caterpillars, and sawflies.
When I first notice the holes on the leaves, I did think about caterpillars. It reminded me of elementary school, when the class had a set of caterpillars growing into butterflies. The thing is I haven't seen any caterpillars or insects on the tree. There is a couple of small spider webs but no spiders either.
This could be because it is fall but the weather is still nice so I'm assuming there are a couple of insects left. Sadly each day that I observe my tree there is no sign of insects.
I wonder if the insects like to eat the cherries during the summer ,too ? Could these cherries be edible to these insects? Are they edible to humans ?
Here is a picture of one of the many leaves with holes:
" Some of the leaves are ripped, then others have small holes on them. I think of caterpillars eating green leaves during the summer. " Field notes 9/30 |
I love the serrated edges of the leaves. When I was a child, my mom made chokecherry jam. I don't know if it was from the same kind of tree, but I know it was good stuff. Great blog.
ReplyDeletethats interesting c:
ReplyDeleteI never really paid attention to small details like that & Thats Really cool to learn new things about it
I thought of elementary school when I saw the picture of your leaf too! I wonder why they make a certain amount of holes instead of eating the whole thing?
ReplyDeleteI really like how you made the connection of the caterpillars reminding you of elementary school becuase I remember those little things as if I had been in contact with them recently. The reason I remeber them so much is because they terrified me on another level. I was aware of them becoming butterflies and I thought butterflies were absolutely lovely at a point that was until I saw an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants where they zoomed into a butterfly and I was very intimidated by it.
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