How Bad Did Caterpillars Hit RI? One Photo Says it All

EXETER, RI—When pilot Jon Pascua looked down from his plane over Exeter last week, large swaths of the forest were as brown as a cold, snowless winter's day.

The problem? It's late June.

The cause? Caterpillars.

Rhode Island has been hit hard by large caterpillar concentrations this year, especially in South and Kent Counties. In North Kingstown and South Kingstown, on a ride to the beach, the sides of Route 1 look as if the trees have just begun to bud. Residents across the state have watched their yards become skeletal and endured the rain of caterpillar poop falling from above for weeks.

The good news? The worst is likely over. The state Department of Environmental Management has been monitoring the caterpillar infestation and said in early June that many trees that have been defoliated should start to re-foliate by the end of July "with the proper care." The caterpillars are in the process of becoming moths and producing eggs.

Watering trees during dry conditions can help. Applying fertilizer is not recommended, however.

In the meantime, along with being unsightly, the defoliation means increased fire risk. The DEM is advising people near impacted areas to be extra careful not to start a fire that could rapidly become a massive blaze.

A lack of leaves means more sun reaches the ground, drying up the forest floor. Those areas will more easily ignite from a stray spark or ember.

"People should be cautious not to inadvertently spark a wildfire while cooking out, kindling a campfire, or using fireworks," the DEM said in a news release.

Simple tips: don't flick cigarette butts. Only get rid of charcoal when it's stone cold. Make sure your dirt bike or ATV has a muffler and is in good running condition. And check if open burning is allowed in your community with a call to the fire department before setting that bonfire.

Pascua said that he saw huge spots like the one he saw in Exeter "all over South County."

The primary culprit is the reviled gypsy moth, brought to America for an ill-fated attempt to create a domestic silk industry only to escape and munch and munch.

This year's infestation is likely caused by the abnormally dry conditions this spring. Gypsy moth populations are normally balanced by a virus and a fungus that kill the caterpillars. Both of which were hampered by the dry weather.

While this year's infestation is the worst in recent memory, it's still not as bad as the epic infestations that devastated a large area of the Northeast in the early 1980s.

How bad has your property been hit?

You can see the defoliation from space, too. The National Weather Service released satellite images of Rhode Island and Massachusetts on Sunday. The first photo is the area in Late May. The second is late June.