Spongy Moth
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Why the Spongy Moth Matters
The spongy moth is an established invasive pest in Madison. In caterpillar form, it eats leaves off trees, causing defoliation. It thrives during dry conditions.
The defoliation is troubling to see, especially when its beautiful mature oaks and other beloved trees go from full canopies to losing leaves to these ravenous invasive caterpillars.
Unlike the emerald ash borer, the caterpillar is not fatal to trees by itself.
Losing leaves adds a lot of stress to trees. If you add this stress on top of other problems trees face, like drought conditions, issues with our changing climate, problems with other pests, or repeated defoliation from this caterpillar, then it gets harder for a tree to recover.
New Name for an Old Pest
This moth has been with us for a long time. According to the Wisconsin DNR, it was first introduced in Massachusetts way back in 1869 and was it first spotted in Wisconsin about a century later sometime in the 1960s.
In 2022, this moth's name was changed by the Entomological Society of America as part of their Better Common Names Project.
You can read specifically about this moth's name update on their webpage.