Gypsy moth caterpillar

Sometimes an accident turns out for the best... and then there are the Gypsy Moths. The happy accident is this photograph, which I made during a walk this rainy afternoon—rain that wasn't supposed to arrive until after dark. Fortunately, I had the waterproof Fuji with me, along with the DSLR, which I quickly stashed in a plastic bag at the first splash of raindrops, but things were slippery, so when I tried to focus in on a Gypsy Moth caterpillar, the camera slipped a bit. I like the result, and I doubt I could have planned a better shot. But the fact that there are Gypsy Moths to photograph at all is that other kind of accident. This one occurred in about 1869 when this European species escape from captivity and went on to become an uber-pest capable of almost completely defoliating the woods. The caterpillars have been kept in check by a Japanese fungus for more than 20 years, but our dry springs have rendered the control agent ineffective. We're praying for April showers next year. March and May downpours would be nice, too.