Bug Trap

I sometimes see straw on trees in the winter. A gardener told us a long time ago that bugs crawl up under the straw to keep warm in the winter. Or maybe they lay their eggs there. In the spring, the straw is taken off and burned. This supposedly keeps the bug population low. I was walking to the post office today and took this picture. It seems a little late for this to still be on the tree. It's been a cool, wet spring so maybe the bugs haven't come out yet. It was sunny and quite warm today, though. Garbage fires have been outlawed in our area so maybe people now throw them away on burnable garbage days (the city incinerates garbage). By the way, this is a pine tree or matsu.