The Oakleaf caterpillar is visible and causing damage to Oak trees in the Charlotte, NC and Fort Mill, SC area. The light to yellow green caterpillars have darker brown stripes that run down their sides . Oak leaf caterpillars start feeding first to second week in August.
These caterpillars will shred your oak tree leaves to the stems. Smaller caterpillars will hide under the leaf or be visible stacked on top of each other. Shake a branch with a white sheet or piece of paper. The caterpillars will fall off the branch and be easier to identify against the white background.
Treat with a sprayable biological insecticide known as BT, also called Bacillales thuringiensis which is available online or at your local hardware store.
