Ailanthus Webworm

I was working my way up to taking a picture of the Ailanthus sapling that appeared this summer in a crack in the concrete in the Back 40. I was looking forward to a tree growing in Brooklyn, at least until the landlord saw it. But the Ailanthus Webworms got to it before I did. And they did a number on it. Atteva aurea is another of the communal caterpillar species who cover their handiwork in silk.

This is the adult moth:
Ailanthus altissima is of course a tree native to China. The moth seems to be native to Florida and the tropics; it has adopted to using the tree as a host plant for its larvae.