This is WMUK’s “Why’s That?” answering your questions about life in Southwest Michigan. I’m Sehvilla Mann, and you’re not. If you watched Saturday Night
A report on a very hungry caterpillar
Gypsy moths are non-native. They’re considered invasive. The caterpillars feast on oak and many other hardwood leaves, and can defoliate whole trees. By leaving them alone, Andrew wonders if he’s endangering his backyard oak and even the local biome.
“Do I leave them alone, try to get rid of them, somewhere in between? Is there an in between?” he asks.
Reassuringly, there probably is, says Michigan State University entomologist Deb McCullough. She’s studied gypsy moths for years, and says, though the voracious caterpillars can be a nuisance, there’s no need to panic over them.
Will climate change make SW Michigan cloudier?
Southwest Michigan is not known for its brilliant blue winter skies. And Arthur’s wondering if we might see even less sun in the future if climate change warms up Lake Michigan, and ramps up the lake effect.
“Are we going to have even more clouds and more cloudy days, more rain, more snow?”
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Arthur and I asked a couple of experts. We learned global warming is having an effect on the lake and that in turn could change the weather inland. How things change in the long term depends on how warm it gets.
If you’ve seen a railroad, you’ve seen railroad ties, the beams that brace the track crosswise from underneath. In the US they’re usually made of wood. But