Editing Winter moth (section)

== Invasive impact ==
The winter moth is native to Europe, but invaded the northeast of the [[United States|US]] in the late 1990s. As of 2007, winter moths have spread to coastal Maine, [[Greater Boston|eastern Massachusetts]], [[Rhode Island]], [[southeastern Connecticut]], and [[East End (Long Island)|eastern Long Island]]. The moths feed on a wide range of [[deciduous]] leaves, and some [[conifer]]s. This has caused defoliation of the trees across the states in which the moths live. Between 2003 and 2015 winter moths caused defoliation of forests and shade trees from between 2,266 and 36,360 hectares per year in Massachusetts alone.<ref>Elkinton, J. S., Boettner, G. H., and Broadley, H. J.. 2021. Successful biological control of winter moth, ''Operophtera brumata'', in the northeastern United States. ''Ecological Applications'' 31( 5):e02326. 10.1002/eap.2326</ref>