Ahh.

Time for a spring nap under this  peaceful oak … unless that oak is under siege  by clouds of amorous moths.

Unlike most moths, which are nocturnal, these  California oak moths take over in daylight.

This female frantically beats  her wings to spread her scent.

A male picks up the signal  with his feathered antennae.

Every few years, the moths seem to appear  out of nowhere and get down to business.

Once they lay their eggs, the oak is in trouble.

By summer, oak moth caterpillars cover  its leaves.

And they’re ravenous.

That bulbous head has powerful mouthparts  that chew through the tough oak leaves.

The caterpillars eat and eat.

They outgrow their skin six times.

They stuff themselves in the daytime, when  birds and other predators can spot them easily.

Their bright colors may signal a  gnarly taste that keeps enemies away.

The caterpillars leave something behind: tough  poop pellets called frass ... a little fertilizer   that will eventually fall to the ground.

At  least these gluttons give something back.

When they’re done eating, in a month or two,  what’s left of the tree is a brown skeleton.

With full bellies, the caterpillars rappel  down from the branches on long silky strands.

Sometimes they swing on their silk,  Tarzan like, to get that laaast bite.

And down they go.

If you’re sitting below, you  might just be in their way.

The caterpillar’s goal is to quickly attach  to a hard surface and turn into a pupa.

In this moment of stillness, these  destroyers become vulnerable to predators.

A wasp pierces the pupa to  inject its own egg inside.

The wasp larva will feed on the  developing moth … because in nature,   one day you’re the diner and  the next, you’re the meal.

And the oak?

It’s tougher than it  looks.

It almost always survives.

In a month or two it grows new leaves.

And if it’s lucky, these pernicious guests  will stay away ... at least for a few years.