A lot of trees in parking lots and along warm suburban streets could host orangestripped oakworms. I found several infested trees along Centennial Parkway and at the NC Museum of Art in the last week or so. Orangestriped oakworms can defoliate trees in some cases but often only a branch or two are affected. They have one generation a year. This time of year the are noticeable because they are getting big and dropping a lot of frass on decks and sidewalks. Later they will start coming down to the ground to pupate.

Orangestripped oakworms are actually one of the pests we know quite a bit about and even have scouting protocols, aesthetic injury levels, and treatment thresholds. I wrote a longer piece about how orangestripped oakworms are a great case study in ornamental IPM on my blog.