Meet the Brown-tail Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)

The brown-tail moth is an invasive species in the United States and Canada, having arrived in Somerville, Massachusetts, circa 1890 and becoming widespread there and in neighboring Cambridge by 1897. Initial outbreaks were most evident in pear and apple trees. Doctors reported "poisonings" (skin rash) far worse than poison ivy rash. Within a few years it was seen as a serious, fast-spreading, horticultural and health problem.[1] Through the early parts of the 20th century it was present in much of New England from eastern Connecticut to Maine, and northward into New Brunswick, Canada, but the 1906 introduction of the parasitic tachinid fly Compsilura concinnata to counter spongy moths collaterally impacted brown-tail moths. By the late 20th century the habitat was reduced to the coast and islands of Maine, and also parts of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.[2] Cold and wet weather hinders re-expansion of the population outside its current territories,[11] although starting in 2015 there has been a population spike and territory expansion in coastal Maine, from Portland to Bar Harbor.[3] In addition to North America, there have been reports of this species appearing in China, Japan and New Guinea.[10]