Caterpillars. Lots of them. No, it’s not the 1980s gypsy moth invasion again, it’s just the normal lifecycle of the moths and butterflies in a Connecticut backyard. David Wagner, associate professor of ecology at UConn, seeks out the variety of caterpillars behind his house and claims he’s seen more than 1,000 species out there. The NY Times article includes some of his photos and a video of him beating tree branches to toss insects onto a sheet for study. Caterpillars are difficult to research and catalog; “dead caterpillars do not keep well” and you have to rear them to adulthood to fully identify them. Surprisingly “there are well-known moths whose caterpillars have never been seen by science.” Dr. Wagner’s book “Caterpillars of Eastern North America” covers 600 species. Some entomologists keep online listings of caterpillars of various regions, and then there are the hobbyists such as JavaJane, a Brit who has created a North American version of her popular What’s this Caterpillar site.