Why Is This Caterpillar Taking Over?

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Tent caterpillars are any of the couple dozen species in the genus Malacosoma, which live in temperate regions around the world. They cooperate to build silk tents and about once a decade, these caterpillars swarm, eating every leaf in their path.

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Sources:
https://salempl.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Original-Narratives-of-Early-American-History-Winthrops-Journal-vol.-2.pdf
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https://www.forestpests.org/vd/images/0758116-SMPT.jpg
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00328686
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https://conservancy.umn.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/bad18746-49bb-440f-9430-106f3b3781e7/content
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2929104/
https://www.lancswt.org.uk/blog/starling-murmuration-facts
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/no-leaf-munching-tent-caterpillar-swarm-this-year-but-likely-in-2032-33-researcher-says-11093836
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Images:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z2TZAnK9o9-Q3C5KKKpmTZKrpoAOuzxCX1xJszEhjyw/edit?tab=t.0