If you pay attention to environmental news, you’ll already be aware of the invasive, extremely destructive moth with tawny, speckled wings and feathery antennae that’s threatened to munch Washington’s greenery into oblivion since 1974.
Until last month, it was called the gypsy moth. Now, it’s known as the spongy moth, a name inspired by the moth’s spongy egg masses. No matter what they’re called, the invasive moths are bad news. The moths begin life as voracious caterpillars that feed on hundreds of types of trees and shrubs, destroying foliage that native species can’t live without.
The name change is part of the Entomological Society of America’s Better Common Names Project, reviewing and replacing common names of insects that are offensive, derogatory, exclusionary or otherwise problematic. “Gypsy” is a derogatory term for the Romani people, whereas “spongy” simply refers to an aspect of the moth’s biology and lifecycle. The society adopted the new common name early this month; it was recommended by a group of scientists, researchers, forest management professionals and Romani scholars. “Spongy” won out over 200 other proposals, one of which we can only hope was “Mothy McMothface.”
The spongy moth’s caterpillars have been dining on vegetation in the northeastern United States and eastern Canada since the 1800s. The moth’s eggs arrive in Washington on firewood, attached to outdoor gear and on vehicles. The Washington State Department of Agriculture has so far fended off moth incursions by trapping them and spraying Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, known as Btk, a naturally occurring bacteria.
