By CONNIE MERTZ

There is no mistaking the fall webworm's maze of netting while driving along or viewing it from a vista. Backlighting from the sun turns them into a quite a masterpiece. Living in colonies, the fall webworm starts webbing at the tips of branches and works its way down, enclosing only those leaves it will consume.

The fall webworm is not to be confused with the tent caterpillar which is common in spring. This leaf-eater hatches in summer. The eggs are usually attached to the underside of their host plants. The larvae never leaves the immediate area. Colonies of webworms can be very destructive to such trees as willow, ash, hickory, maple, oak, walnut and apple, but usually trees recover.

Once fall arrives, after several molts, they leave the web to spin cocoons in the crevices of the tree or in leaf litter. They will remain in this stage during the winter months. In May, the adult web worms hatch, mate and lay eggs propagating their species.

The moth of the webworm is about 1.5 inches, white with brown or black spots on the forewing. Unfortunately, this pest is common throughout the United States.