The Bristol Area Library announced the cancellation of its annual plant sale due to the winter moth infestation along the Maine coast. The winter moth can spread unknowingly from place to place with landscape plants.
The caterpillars, or larvae, feed on leaf buds and flowers of hardwood trees, fruit trees, and blueberry bushes. After defoliating trees, they drop to the ground and spend summer and fall buried in the soil in earth cocoons.
The plant sale had been scheduled for Saturday, May 26. For numerous years, the plant sale has been an anticipated event for the entire community, featuring great prices and healthy plants from local gardens. Unfortunately, times and conditions change. As stewards of the environment, the library considered its responsibility in this issue.
Detailed information from the Maine Forest Service about the winter moth is available at the Bristol Area Library, 619 Old County Road, Pemaquid (Bristol).