Gypsy's demise

It has been a pretty bad year for Gypsy Moths, and though the defoliation is spotty, there are places around here where the leaves are quite skimpy and the frass, the polite name for caterpillar poop, is thick on the ground, the cars, and every other surface imaginable. But just as the caterpillars are reaching maximum size and about to pupate, something remarkable, and, to Lymantria dispar loathers everywhere, wonderful, is taking shape. As caterpillar populations peak, the youngsters are under increasing amounts of stress, and that, it turns out, makes them vulnerable to a plague caused by the Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus. If you look at the image, you can spot at least a few caterpillars turning into Vees, the first outward sign of infection and impending doom. With any luck, NPV will knock down the number of Gypsy Moths that reach pupation size, and there won't be nearly as many egg-laying adults to keep the awful cycle going.