Pinelands Predators

[ebsi2001]

With the summer months come the emergence of many of the Pinelands worst predators. The reason is quite simple: many of the predators are poikilothermic...

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/story/6423988p-6280156c.html

and

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/health_fitness/24hour/story/3306977p-12183739c.html

...while other, non--living "predators" such as viruses "go with the flow" (of the sap) in some of the area's more economically important plants...

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/story/6426782p-6282891c.html

For all of youse, who can still hike and "truck" through "The Pines," how do things look? Are the gypsy moth caterpillars on the "rise," i.e. more than usual? What about cranberries and blueberries: Is the bounty of this year's crops less than usual? Maybe the "honchos" at Rutgers --- or in Trenton need some input...:jeffd:

ebsi

 

[bobpbx]

Bamber is fine right now. We don't have a lot of large deciduous trees though.

 

[woodjin]

Last weekend I was riding my motorcycle around green wood WMA and the gypsy moth catapillers were nightmarish. They were hanging off trees creating a gauntlet as I was heading down the roads. Avoiding them was impossible. Ever wonder what it is like to have a gypsy moth collide with your goggles at 60 mph. Well, I don't have to wonder anymore. When I came out of the woods all of my clothes were ruined...permenently stained with catapiller guts. Two weeks ago in the mt misery woods I could here their droppings like rain.

Jeff