I may be the only one who ever used the humble Gypsy Moth as a source of inspiration. Yet this is one important little insect. Ever since its accidental release in 1868 by a French scientist on the Eastern Coast of the US, this intrepid traveler has become responsible for the defoliation of millions of forest trees. In this piece, I wanted to show how trees record insect depredation in their rings... a slower year of growth results in a much narrower ring, and recovery can take a few years.