Skylands Visitor: Invasive species wreaking havoc in N.J.
Gypsy Moth
Photo credit: cirrusimage.com
A small, bristly caterpillar crawls across the oak leaf. Barely visible when it first hatches, the caterpillar will pass through several growth stages, or instars, as the spring progresses. Eventually it will reach almost two inches in length, morphing into the kind of larva that fascinates small children. Pairs of blue and red dots, like candy buttons, decorate its back. Thick, stiff hairs sprout like a fright wig from its body.
"Kids love the bugs. The freakier the better," says Michael Pollock, a geologist and life-time naturalist at the New Jersey Audubon Scherman-Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Bernardsville. "We just don't want them to love that one."
Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 8/2/2010 10:00 AM 
Categories: Invertebrates
Tags: caterpillar new jersey audubon gypsy moth oak invasive
Categories: Invertebrates
Tags: caterpillar new jersey audubon gypsy moth oak invasive
Comments