MORNING SENTINEL • September 6, 2025
I was a victim of browntail caterpillars a couple of times and don’t wish to revisit the experience. One of my favorite activities is hanging clothes outdoors on a windy day, inhaling the scent of laundry detergent and watching the fabrics flap in the wind. I especially love that exercise out at the lake, where in June we strung two, lengthy cotton clothesline ropes. I lost that privilege over the last few summers as browntail wreaked havoc at the shore, raiding the oaks and fruit-bearing trees. But the wet, soggy spring this year and efforts by the city of Waterville and our China neighbors the last few years to mitigate browntail has made it safe once again to enjoy the outdoors without angst. ~ Amy Calder