fall cankerworm
Quick Summary
The fall cankerworm is the larva of a small moth (Alsophila pometaria) found in North America. These green or brown, white-striped loopers are destructive defoliators, meaning they feed on and damage fruit and deciduous shade trees. They are similar to the spring cankerworm (Paleacrita vernata), but the spring cankerworm has abdominal spines and emerges in the spring, whereas the fall cankerworm's moth emerges in the fall. Canker is a general term for plant diseases caused by fungi and bacteria that create sunken or dead areas on plant stems, twigs, or trunks.123
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