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Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
Lymantria dispar
41.6815, -71.6896
Field Notes
Description:
Larvae can be distinguished from other species of caterpillars by their spots. They have 5 pairs of blue spots and 6 pairs of red spots. They also have long. hair-like setae covering their bodies.
Habitat:
These caterpillars, which are an invasive species, are wreaking havoc and causing incredible amounts of tree carnage in western Rhode Island this year. It's estimated that approximately 3/4 of RI's forest canopy has been affected, making this the worst outbreak in at least 15 years. A single caterpillar can eat a square foot of leaf matter in one day - they prefer hardwoods, but will also eat conifers, many of which will not recover. The last picture shows some defoliated trees. It looks more like winter than summer.
Notes:
These caterpillars are like little zombies that just keep coming. They are everywhere - defoliating trees, covering yards, houses, roads, cars, etc... You can't go in the woods without hearing the sound of "rain", which is actually the sound of gypsy moth feces (frass) falling from the trees. Going in the woods makes you feel like you are in a horror movie with caterpillars covering every tree and poop falling on your head.
Gypsy moth caterpillars are usually kept in check each year by a virus and a fungus, but since the spring of 2015 was so dry, neither the fungus or the virus were able to spread enough in order to kill the caterpillars before they pupated. This has caused a carry-over effect that led to an abundance of eggs being laid and extremely high numbers of caterpillars this summer.
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