This caterpillar is one of the only critters that can eat the poisonous leaves of Texas mountain laurel.
With the recent rains you might be noticing an increase in the number of insects in your garden. One that’s always around in small numbers — but might be booming now — is the genista broom moth.
Most people only notice the moth as a caterpillar, mainly because it’s one of the only critters that can actually eat the poisonous leaves of Texas mountain laurel. These fuzzy cats grow to about an inch and when they mass, they can defoliate branches or even entire small mountain laurels.
While defoliated branches don’t look nice, the caterpillars aren’t likely to permanently damage an established plant. And they do provide some benefits to your garden: they’re a food source for predators that can cope with the toxins they accumulate as they eat.
Mountain laurels don’t often drop their leaves on their own and when they do, they take a while to break down thanks to their thick cuticles. As genista caterpillars eat the leaves and poop, they unlock the nutrients that are stored away in these leaves, especially nitrogen, making them available for other plants in your garden.
