Defoliation in the Catskills
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teejay
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Good question
I was driving on Rt. 17 from Middletown to Binghamton yesterday and my daughter noticed the same thing. More seemed to be on the northern facing slopes than on the southern ones. Are the trees just later to leaf out or is there something else going on? Acid rain, caterpillars, some disease??
teejay
I was driving on Rt. 17 from Middletown to Binghamton yesterday and my daughter noticed the same thing. More seemed to be on the northern facing slopes than on the southern ones. Are the trees just later to leaf out or is there something else going on? Acid rain, caterpillars, some disease??
teejay
Tom Rankin
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Caterpillars. Big time.teejay said:
See here
http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1486&highlight=caterpillars
Mark Schaefer
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The forest tent (spotted) and eastern tent (striped) caterpillar infestations come in recurring 10-12 year cycles. There are some of each in the current Catskill infestation. Although I have seen them come and go previously, 2006 appears to be the worst ever. Driving by you missed the joys of hiking through raining caterpillar droppings and ninja style caterpillar rappels.
The peak years of the cycle usually come in threes, with a megadeath (from starvation and other causes) occurring in the last of these. For the southern Catskills 2006 should be the third and final year of the cycle. Some areas of the northern Catskills are reportedly only in the second peak year with another to come next year. Whichever year we are in those caterpillars that survive will soon be pupating and will be moths in early July. Some infested trees will be able to put out a second set of leaves in July, though they will not appear fully foliated this year.
Other Catskill defoliation threads from the prior two years: 2004 and 2005. NYS DEC reports on the Caterpillar Pests.
The peak years of the cycle usually come in threes, with a megadeath (from starvation and other causes) occurring in the last of these. For the southern Catskills 2006 should be the third and final year of the cycle. Some areas of the northern Catskills are reportedly only in the second peak year with another to come next year. Whichever year we are in those caterpillars that survive will soon be pupating and will be moths in early July. Some infested trees will be able to put out a second set of leaves in July, though they will not appear fully foliated this year.
Other Catskill defoliation threads from the prior two years: 2004 and 2005. NYS DEC reports on the Caterpillar Pests.
snowshoe
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They are very bad in North Jersey as well. Loking at some areas of the ridge tops like Rattlesnake Mt in the DWGNRA, there are no leaves. Looks like early spring
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