"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
Ailanthus Webworm Moth
Atteva aurea fam. Attevidae (Hodges#2401)
Host plant: Found on tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
Date found: 30, August, 2025
Location found: Tyson Research Center, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: It is currently unclear whether Atteva aurea is native to the southeastern U.S. where corkwood and other members of Simaroubaceae are found and then expanded its range into Missouri following the introduction of the tree of heaven, or if it was introduced from China.
Ailanthus Webworm
Atteva aurea fam. Attevidae
Host plant: Leitneria floridana (corkwood)
Dates found: 14, Jul, 2024
Locations Found: Shaw Nature Reserve, St. Louis County, MO
Notes: Originally native to southern Florida and other neotropical countries where it hosted on members of the Simaroubaceae. It has expanded its range following the introduction and escape of the invasive Chinese tree-of-heaven, Ailanthus altissima, which is the most common host for this species in Missouri.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 