There is something in New York State that has people doing a double take when they pass by them. From Syracuse, to the Adirondacks, to the Southern Tier, these things are everywhere! You can feel the fall starting to settle in across New York State. As the cooler air returns and the shorter days follow, Mother Nature has plenty of creepy crawlers waiting to thrive.
But what exactly are these things that are suspended from the trees and bushes? Are they safe? Are they invasive? Do they bite? Those are just some of the questions we had on our recent trip around New York. READ MORE: When Does The Fireplace Ban Start In New York State? With the gap of a couple of weeks between the summer camps ending, and school starting, we took our kids on a road trip from Buffalo, to the Adirondacks, to New York City, and back. It was so fun! But I couldn't help but notice the fall webworms are in big numbers this year.
WHAT IS A TENT CATERPILLAR? Tent caterpillars are described as: "Forest tent caterpillars (FTC) (Malacosoma disstria) and eastern tent caterpillars (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) are native to New York State. Population numbers vary over the years from very few and not noticeable, to many and very noticeable defoliation of trees". As far as being harmful to humans, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says on it's website tha t: "Contact with these insects is generally not harmful with a few exceptions.
Some individuals may develop skin rashes or irritations from contact with spongy moth hairs". THESE ARE FALL WEBWORMS We saw a massive amount of what WE THOUGHT were tent caterpillars when we got closer to Saranac Lake, and then in big numbers when we were just south of Binghamton. It turns out, what we most likely saw were actually FALL WEBWORMS .
"Fall webworms make their tents in July and August, while eastern tent caterpillars make their tents in spring". These little buggers are also mostly harmless to humans. I must admit, they looked creepy and in the fog around some of the mountains and riverbeds, it felt like driving through a Hitchcock film! With Halloween just a couple months away, it made our trip more seasonal! LOOK: Here is the richest town in each state Just saying the names of these towns immediately conjures up images of grand mansions, luxury cars, and ritzy restaurants.
Read on to see which town in your home state took the title of the richest location and which place had the highest median income in the country. Who knows—your hometown might even be on this list. Gallery Credit: Meagan Drillinger.
