Nature's Beauty Ravaged; Caterpillars Stripping Appalachian Trail From: The Washington Post | Date: June 4, 1992| Author: Stephen Turnham | Copyright 1992 The Washington Post. This material is published under license from the Washington Post.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post.Copyright information

Robert Butt is vexed. The voracious gypsy moth caterpillar is ravaging a large section of the Appalachian Trail in Loudoun County on his watch and there's not a thing he can do about it.

"People don't realize how bad it is," he said, pointing up at a swath of leafless trees along the Blue Ridge. "A lot of those trees are dead. The rest are struggling."

Butt, 67, a supervisor with the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, is responsible for looking after 244 miles of land around the ...