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#11 |
WG Prize & Gift Coordinator
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Michigan
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Many people talk of the false eye spots. I think they look more like small leaves starting on a twig and used as camouflage.
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#12 | |
1st Place Winner Winner Butterfly/Moth Contest & Official Ant Man
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New Jersey
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#13 |
Slapping, Swearing, Itching, Scratching Mosquito Bait
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: pennsylvania,usa
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You've lost me - are you talking about tent caterpillars or gypsy moths? Yes the east coast has always been here, but not gypsy moths...Gypsy moths are a recent non-native invasive species, and at first had no natural enemies, and have caused extensive damage. Some states do aerial spraying because it's a serious problem.
I don't know that tent caterpllars are anything more than an occasionally serious native pest, especially on Prunus species - birds will eat them, but only if their tent has been torn open somehow. I don't know of any major control efforts for tent caterpillars, as in a forest like you mentioned. 320,000 acres defoliated by gypsy moths in New Jersey in 2007: Gypsy Moth Tree Damage Examples |
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#14 | |
1st Place Winner Winner Butterfly/Moth Contest & Official Ant Man
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New Jersey
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#15 |
Slapping, Swearing, Itching, Scratching Mosquito Bait
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: pennsylvania,usa
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That's the entire nature of invasive species problems, whether it's plants or animals -they are not part of the ecosystem. It can take decades (or maybe never) for birds to change habits regarding a food source, the same thing with other species.
Here's a blurb from wikipedia: Natural gypsy moth control Gypsy moth larvae have several predators which can help decrease their population. Lack of predation is one reason they can go from a normal part of the ecosystem to an actual threat to trees. Among their predators are:
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#16 |
Slapping, Swearing, Itching, Scratching Mosquito Bait
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: pennsylvania,usa
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Here's a link with pictures of gypsy moth larvae and tent caterpillars, they are pretty similar. Take a good look at the camel's hair colored fuzzy egg masses that the gypsy moths leave on tree trunks:
Tent Caterpillars and Gypsy Moths - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation |
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#17 | |
Unicellular Fungi
Join Date: Nov 2008
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"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; we will understand only what we have been taught." -Baba Dioum, Senegalese ecologist |
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#18 |
WG Facilitator
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Cajun Country, Louisiana, USA
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I've never seen one. It is beautiful, and I imagine more so in person.
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My yarden and I lean a little to the wild side. |
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#19 |
1st Place Winner Winner Butterfly/Moth Contest & Official Ant Man
Join Date: May 2009
Location: New Jersey
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Apparently they can be raised in captivity. I read in "Caterpillars of Eastern North America" by David L. Wagner that if you put a female in a paper bag for an evening or until she deposits her brown eggs you can start them as pets. The female is then let go, but you end up with caterpillars. I imagen from there you have to feed them leaves to their various host plants. I've never had any luck with butterfly rearing in captivity so I'd probably just put the caterpillars on a host plant out in the yard.
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#20 |
Salamander
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Milwaukee
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I bought a butterfly kit and raised the caterpillars. It worked. I think I bought it at Discovery.
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It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. ~ Napoleon Hill |
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Tags |
found, luna, moth |
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