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Letter: Plague of caterpillars

Published 8 August 1998

From Andrew Brierley

Alaskan forests are not alone in suffering the ravages of munching
caterpillars
(This Week, 18 July, p 12).

This spring, the Cumbrian fells in Britain were infested with vast numbers of
antler moth caterpillars (Cerapteryx graminis), which ate the
vegetation normally grazed by sheep. As in Alaska, it has been suggested that
this caterpillar plague was caused by abnormal weather.

Bourn, Cambridgeshire

Issue no. 2146 published 8 August 1998

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