All sewn up, part two

A few days after first observing the strange affliction of the hydrangea leaves, I managed to find a set of leaves that were only partially sealed.

Hydrangea leaves partially woven together.

Lines of silk laced back and forth between the leaf margins, leading up to the weaver itself: the aptly named hydrangea leaftier.

A hydrangea leaftier (Olethreutes ferriferana) moth larva.

Weaving the hydrangea leaves together is a big -- and very slow -- job for such a small caterpillar.  Here is a brief clip showing the weaving process up close and then zoomed out to show the extent of the task...

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to: 

(1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website

(2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen

...and here is a longer clip, played at 32x actual speed, to illustrate how the leaves are pulled together by the caterpillar.

* To see this video in high definition (1080p), you may need to: 

(1) click "YouTube" to watch on the YouTube website

(2) change the settings at the bottom of the video screen