São Marcos Blog

Showing Tag: "trees" (Show all posts)

The Palm Tree Killer

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Tuesday, November 22, 2011, In : nature 
             

                               

Since last year the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), called Gorgulho Vermelho in Portugal, has appeared in São Marcos da Serra as well. Anybody loving his palm trees should watch out!

This pest originated in India in 1891 and spread through Egypt to Spain in 2004. Since 2007 this beetle has entered the Algarve. At first it was only active at the coast, but  it is spreading rapidly inland. It now has reached the border to the Alentejo. Th...
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Another creepy crawler

Posted by Marianne Hoesen on Thursday, September 15, 2011, In : nature 
                           

You really don´t want to bump into these innocent looking little guys!  They are pine processionary caterpillars (Thaumetopoea pityocapa) and live in pine trees.  
 
In the adult phase they are a simple and unremarkable, short lived moth which emerge in the summer and fly at night. A single female can then lay up to 300 tiny eggs which she attaches in a mass to a pine needle. Around one month later these eggs hatch into minute caterpillars. These very social caterpil...

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