Introduced from Eurasia around 1869 and rapidly spreading. A significant threat to hardwoods.
"Etienne Leopold Trouvelot, an amateur entomologist, brought Gypsy Moths into the United States to see if they could be successfully reared for silk culture. Around 1869 some of Trouvelot's charges escaped from his home near Boston. Realizing the potential magnitude of the problem, he reported the escape but no action was taken until the infestation grew serious several years later." (BugGuide.net)
Host plants include over 500 plant species including Blue Huckleberry (Database of World's Lepidopteran Host Plants).
There are 187 records in the project database.
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