Written by Madison Roberts, a Reflection Riding Nursery and Botanical Apprentice

The catalpa sphinx moth is a boom-and-bust species, similar to cicadas. They can be absent in an area for years then suddenly densely populate the area. The caterpillars can defoliate catalpa trees during outbreak years and can be considered pests; however, since the catalpa worms are native, they have many natural predators, such as the giant strong-nosed stink bug, Alcaeorrhynchus grandis, and various wasp and fly parasites, for pest control.

These caterpillars are part of the food web that helps other insects complete their life cycles. Birds benefit from catalpa worms, because many birds need soft bodied insects to feed their young. Humans can even benefit from these caterpillars, as they are excellent bait for largemouth bass and catfish, and they can be frozen to be used as bait. Plus, since the catalpa sphinx moth is the only species of sphinx moth that feeds on catalpa, sighting a variety of catalpa worms is truly an exciting experience.

A healthy catalpa tree can withstand complete defoliation by catalpa worms and will often push out a second set of leaves if defoliation happens early in the season. The catalpa tree is available for purchase in the Reflection Riding Native Plant Nursery and can serve as a host plant for this species to promote biodiversity for the ecosystem in your green space.