2006-07-16 08:15:13 · 4 answers · asked by marilynhenriksen@sbcglobal.net 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
mild winter that allows a lot of the caterpillers to survive. And a summer that has plenty of rain and then heat and sunshine. Enjoy them, they are nature's joy.
Dan.
2006-07-16 08:26:56 · answer #1 · answered by Dan S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are around the NE U.S. (& maybe other places), they are probably gypsy moths. There are whole tops of mountains in the Poconos which had no leaves on the trees. Hiked up there and it is amazing how many hundreds of them (in the caterpillar stage) can be on a tree. The leaves are starting to grow back on many of them now - but there are lots of moths flying around. They were brought here from Europe as I understand and there are no natural predators. Someone should think about shipping some in. Some people hate changing the ecosystem, but that will always happen to some extent anyway.
2006-07-16 16:05:22 · answer #2 · answered by Joseph 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's simple - because the environment can support them.
In the animal kingdom, life exists simply to perpetuate life. Animals don't write poetry or build cities, they just survive. So when conditions are good, more of a given species will survive. Animals breed as many offspring as possible because something inside them wants to survive.
So if an environment supports tons of butterflies, then the butterflies will reproduce greatly and you'll have a ton of butterflies. Look to recent changes in the environment, the climate, predator's population, etc and you'll have your answer.
2006-07-16 15:33:50 · answer #3 · answered by Trips 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good season for caterpillars, so many of their mutations.
2006-07-16 15:18:35 · answer #4 · answered by Puppy Zwolle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋