
A female spongy moth lays a tan-colored egg mass on an oak tree at the Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit on July 25. Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR
By Bill McNee, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Oshkosh; bill.mcnee@wisconsin.gov or 920-360-0942
In many areas across Wisconsin, conditions were right for the worst outbreak of spongy moth caterpillars (Lymantria dispar) in more than a decade.
The caterpillars of this invasive insect — formerly known as gypsy moth — prefer to feed on oak, birch, crabapple, aspen and willow leaves, but will also feed on many other tree and shrub species. As of early August, caterpillars have pupated, but adult moths remain present.
Continue reading “Spongy Moth Update: State Defoliation Record Set”