CHILDREN'S GARDENS 



old cocoons, and are covered with a white froth 

 which becomes hard and brittle. The larvae 

 hatch in the spring and attain maturity at mid- 

 summer. They are conspicuous and beautiful, 

 with a characteristic black plume on each side 

 of the head directed forward, and a similar one 

 pointing backward from the posterior part of 

 the body, and a row of short, dense tufts down 

 the upper surface of the body. The loose yellow 

 cocoon may be found in sheltered places on trees 

 and fences. In two weeks the moths emerge and 

 deposit eggs for the second brood. 



Clisiocampa americana Tent- Caterpillar 

 is responsible for the unsightly webs which are 

 common in the spring, as those of the Fall Web- 

 Worm are in the summer and autumn. The 

 favorite food of this species is the wild cherry, 

 although the apple, cherry and peach trees are 

 frequently attacked. The compact brown egg- 

 mass near the tips of the twigs is deposited in 

 late summer and covered with a water-proof 

 substance which protects the eggs during the 

 winter. The eggs hatch early in the spring and 

 the larvae feed greedily on the opening buds 

 and growing leaves. Unlike the Fall Web- 

 Worms, which spin their webs at the ends of the 

 branches, the Tent-Caterpillar selects a fork in 

 the branches. The full-grown caterpillars, about 

 the first or middle of June, crawl actively about 



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