Husk is working on a new project! It involves the Samia cynthia, otherwise known as the Ailanthus Silkworm. This particular silkworm feeds on a diet of Ailanthus leaves. We are thinking about raising Samia cynthia to help us transform  the Ailanthus tree, which is considered a weed tree, into something useful and desirable.  In theory, by creating  desire for the local silk produced by the NYC-based Ailanthus silkworms we could thin out the unwanted population of the Ailanthus trees in NYC.  This, we think, is an elegant, ironic twist to the ravages of desire and consumption — a case where depleting the natural resource happens to have a beneficial impact.

To see what we might be in for, Jeff ordered a dozen Samia cynthia eggs. They hatched on August 4th.

Not sure where this project will go next.  Is it the beginning of a silken thread of an idea, or just another crackpot silkworm scheme?  Stay tuned.