Jurassic Park!

Jurassic Park! Earl Plato

“We’re in Jurassic Park!” My son-in-law Neil Cudney called out. We were on the trolley, all 25 of the Plato clan, heading down the dark roadway to the tip of Point Pelee. It was a dark over-clouded morning. All above and around us in the closely overhanging trees were the large globular webs of the Fall webworms. The light morning rain had given a grayish-white sheen to the countless web forms. Eerie? Yes. To the smaller children at least a definitely scary time as we continued on to the point.
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We had entered the Point Pelee National Park Centre a few minutes before. I had gone to the front desk and asked, “Those are tent caterpillars out there, eh?”
“No!” The young park officer added, “What you saw were Fall webworms. The two caterpillars are closely related.” Both produce small moths. Here in Niagara we have the destructive Tent caterpillars of the spring that eat delicate new leaves. At Point Pelee are the less destructive Fall webworms. Leaves will be falling soon so the damage by the Fall webworm is much less. I thought that means a great deal of food for our migrating birds at Pelee. Not so. Normally songbirds don’t eat the Fall webworms only Black and Yellow cuckoos feast on these caterpillars. Check it out .
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At this time in mid-August we saw only a few Monarch butterflies. Too early. We saw and heard cardinals, wrens, warblers and four Blue herons. We heard clearly the raspy call of the herons. I have had better bird days at Pelee but still an enjoyable one over all. Plan a visit to our National Park at Point Pelee. It’s worth the visit. ***
We are fortunate to have Teresa Forte in the
Review informing us about garden techniques on a weekly basis. She serves an amazing cross-section of our varied needs. Just one personal problem. I am in a little house now after we moved in from the Sherkston family farm. There we had a large vegetable garden and inherited a well established flower garden. Earl, continue to think small. However, Teresa I can still appreciate your great descriptions of larger settings.