Insects

Deer flies are so bad this year in Jane Lindholm's town that neighbors have complained that they can’t garden, can’t play on their swingsets, and struggle to take their dogs for walks. Vermont Public had to put her on the case.

Insects like the emerald ash borer and the elm zigzag sawfly have whimsical names, but they are harming forests in our region.

The fuzzy insects cling to houses and trees and chew their way through foliage, leaving a mess of damage behind. In 2022, the invasive caterpillars defoliated nearly 43,000 acres in Vermont, This year, they seem to be almost non-existent.

Host Mikaela Lefrak chats with a biologist with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies and the coordinator of the Butterfly Atlas.

Two lady beetles that hadn't been seen in Vermont in decades made an appearance at Mills Riverside Park in Jericho last month.