The Very Hungry Caterpillar*

Once there was a Frenchman named Etienne Leopold Trouvelot, who lived at 27 Myrtle Street in Medford Massachusetts. Trouvelot was a lithographer and astronomer by trade, but his hobby was insects. Sometime in the late 1860’s, he imported the eggs of the European gypsy moth. Some say he wanted to breed the moths with an American species to create a hybrid silk-producer, resistant to many diseases that the silkworm moth suffered. Unbeknownst to Trouvelot, silk moths and gypsy moths are not even in the same insect family and cannot breed with each other. Then one day the gypsy moths escaped. Some sources claim that the caterpillars escaped out a window of Trouvelots house, other say a storm freed the caterpillars from an outdoor net. Treuvelot was “much disturbed on not being able to find them” and informed the local authorities of the moth’s escape. Nothing was done. Gypsy moths were a pest in their native Europe, where they ate hundreds of species of trees and shrubs.  At first it seemed his fears were unfounded. All was quiet in Trouvelot’s neighborhood for 10 years. But then toward the end of the 1870’s the caterpillars exploded on the scene. They marched down country roads like an invading army, stripping bare any plant they could find. One resident said, “I went to the front door and sure enough the street was black with them (caterpillars).” Another resident testified to having collected 4 quarts of the caterpillars from one branch of an apple tree. Streets and sidewalks were slippery in places because of the crushed caterpillars. Placed in an environment devoid of its natural enemies, the gypsy moth multiplied and spread so rapidly that today it is a pest across the northeastern United States, as far south as Virginia and west to Minnesota. Gypsy moths continue to spread, costing an estimated $868 million in damage per year in the U.S. Rarely has a hobby gone so badly and publicly awry. Trouvelot returned to his native France in 1882, where it is believed he lived until his death in 1895.   For more information and photos of the destructive Gypsy Moth *The Very Hungry Caterpillar title and logo are used from a book by Eric Carle

Etienne Leopold Trouvelot Source: Lick Observatory, University of California Trouvelot house in Medford, MA. Source: Forbush E.H., Fernald, C.H., 1896. The Gypsy Moth Gypsy moth caterpillar (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

Berries for the Birds

In my back yard, I love watching cardinals during the winter months. Colorful and musical, this hardy songbird won't leave home just because it gets a little cold. Our region is home to many permanent resident birds, meaning they are present throughout the year: woodpeckers, finches, pine siskin, redpoll, tit, bluebird, grossbeak, nuthatch, sparrow, crows, Blue jay, cardinal, junco, morning doves, owls, hawks and even robins. Harsh winters means birds must eat more food to stay alive, and shorter days mean they have less time to search for it. It’s a very good time to give them a hand by planting shrubs that hold their fruit well into the cold months. Not only are fruits high in carbohydrates, which allow birds to rapidly refuel, but the berries contain large amounts of antioxidants. These chemicals help alleviate the physical stress birds suffer when they burn fat during cold winter nights. For fall berries, viburnums are an excellent choice, especially native viburnums, such as V. lentago, V. dentatum, V. trilobum. You can find these listed in catalogs under the common names: Nannyberry, Redwing, Wentworth, Northern Burgundy, Compact American and Blue Muffin. Another shrub I recommend is Winterberry. There must be at least one male winterberry in the vicinity for the female plants to bear fruit. Other shrubs to consider are: serviceberry (Regent), red and black chokeberry (Erecta, Autumn Magic, Ground Hog, Iroquois Beauty, Low Scape Mound), sumac, snowberry (Candy, Galaxy and White), and American Wahoo. With natural areas becoming more and more fragmented, it is especially important for people to plant for the birds. What you put in your yard does matter. American Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus) For more information on Berries for Birds

Chickadee on a staghorn sumac.  Photo: Missy Mandel/Great Backyard Bird Count Winterberry (Ilex verticillate) Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) American high-bush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum)

Cowboy Caviar Ingredients 1/3 c olive oil 1/4 c red wine vinegar 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 red onion, diced 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed 16 oz. frozen corn 2 red peppers, diced 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced 1/2 c chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions Make the dressing: in a medium bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside. Run hot water over the corn for a few minutes in a colander to thaw. Add the rest of the ingredients. Pour dressing over. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Thanks for Reading and Happy Planting! Faith Faith Appelquist President & Founder