[Cdt-l] tent caterpillar blight in NM

[Ronyon]

Are they edible?

Sent from my iPod

On Jun 8, 2012, at 11:15 AM, Brett <blisterfree at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Currently on the trail in northern New Mexico, and I'm surprised no one else has commented on the tent caterpillar aspen blight. North of Ghost Ranch, particularly from Harris Bear Spring environs onward, aspen defoliation and/or mortality approaches 100% in many places, and there are a LOT of aspen stands in this neck of the woods. The problem seems to be reaching a crescendo currently from Hopewell Lake to, well, I'm not sure where as I'm still knee-deep in wriggling biomass with no end in sight. Anyplace within a quarter mile of the nearest aspen stand means having caterpillars crawling up your leg and falling out of the sky within mere seconds of stopping for a rest break. The little bastards are all consuming.
> 
> Have hikers experienced this problem in years past, and does anyone have a reasonable guess for where things are headed? It seems to be spreading south, checked by desert regions, as the San Pedro Parks area (and nearly everyplace farther south I've explored in New Mexico) seems to be doing okay.
> 
> -blisterfree
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