Carla Clark | For The Republic People arrive for The Republic’s 2025 Columbus Bridal Show sponsored by Perfect Parties Tents & Events at the Commons, Columbus, Ind., Sunday, March 9, 2025.

But none of these invasive species are as famous as the spongy moth, also known as the gypsy or tent moth ... outside due to the sheer amount of caterpillars munching and excreting on trees.

A gypsy moth caterpillar crawls along partially eaten leaves of a tree in Trenton, N.J. The spongy moth caterpillar has a yellow and black head, a hairy body with pairs of blue spots, followed by ...