In 2026, scientists found oak trees can delay spring leaf growth by three days to starve hungry caterpillars |
Representative Image of oak trees with delayed budburst as caterpillars wait for young leaves to emerge (AI-generated image) In temperate forests, spring timing can determine whether newly hatched caterpillars find a feast or almost nothing to eat. Many herbivorous insects emerge around the time trees produce their first young leaves, when the foliage is soft…