"Bugs on the Bushes" Could Be Bagworms

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One of our readers recently reached out to us because her friend found some “bugs on the bushes” outside of her trailer. She didn’t provide any additional information, but she did send in a photo. The picture is a little blurry, so it is hard to form a solid idea of what these creatures are. Nevertheless, we will still share the photograph so you can get a good look at it as well:

While our reader didn’t specifically ask “what are these?” we assume that is her question, since that is usually what people want to know. Unfortunately, we aren’t sure what these organisms are. The photograph is simply too out of focus, and we don’t have any other details or information to use as helpful clues in figuring out this mystery. We think the creatures are light brown or white, and that they are hanging in groups on the bushes. There are two ideas we have that could be potential matches, and we will explore them below.

Our first idea is that these are webworms. Webworms are caterpillars that weave a loose webbing around the foliage of a tree while eating the leaves. This webbing could cover a single leaf or an entire branch. However, the bush we see in the photo doesn’t seem like a match for the foliage webworms eat.

The organisms might also be bagworms. Bagworms are caterpillars, or moth larvae, that create 2 inch spindle-shaped “bags” that hang from trees and shrubs. These bags are sometimes mistaken for pinecones. Bagworms prefer coniferous trees, such as juniper, spruce, and pines. We recognize the bush in the photograph as coniferous, and so we think it is pretty likely that our reader’s friend has discovered bagworms.

To sum up, a reader sent us a photo of some curious creatures that her friend found in the bushes. Based on the photograph, we think these might be bagworms. However, since the photo isn’t very clear we aren’t 100% sure.

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