Normally webworms are found up in the trees. This is some type of tall weed of which I don't know the identity. It was standing along the edge of a hay meadow near a dense cope of trees. There were a few webs up in the trees, but they were not as dense as these.
If you zoom in on the photo you will see that the leaves have turned snowy white and are completely enclosed by the webs. It is as if each leaf is the center of a collapsed paper bag. I could not see any active worms within the bags, yet they seemed intact.
If any of you who read this know what this critter is, please post the identity in the comments for me. If they only attack weeds I may start raising them as a cash crop!
There are many things in nature that we don't understand. Why did these "bugs" attack this specific plant and leave all of those surrounding it alone? Is there some critical nutrient they were seeking that drew them to it? There were other weeds of the same type nearby that were untouched. The lower leaves on this plant were also untouched. I should have taken a photo of them for comparison, but it didn't occur to me as I was checking cows yesterday.
I suppose I'm a little weird, but things like this intrigue me. Did you know that many of our medicines come from plants? Could it be that the same chemicals that drew the web-makers to this weed have the potential to cure cancer or, other diseases? Is there something special about this plant, which I see occasionally, but is not common on our land?
Maybe it isn't the plant that is special but, perhaps there is something in this patch of soil that has been taken up by the plant? Could creatures like these "webworms?" be genetically programmed to seek out specific chemicals? Could they be programmed to mine potential basic molecules from plants to be used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals?
Like I said, I suppose I'm a little weird, but I know that there are things occurring in nature that we don't understand that could be of great benefit to us. We must take care to maintain large natural areas where such interesting and unique processes occur simply for the fact that they are a laboratory for research into what we don't know.
We also need to train scientists to incorporate the observation of nature into their quest for the "new and better" which may be something that has been around for millennia in a natural process that we just don't yet realize is occurring. Without wild places that would be impossible.
Just my thoughts this morning. Again, if you know exactly what caused the webs on this plant, please comment. I would appreciate it!
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