Western hemlock looper moths, Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa, are mottled brown and white. Adults lay their eggs in the tops of hemlock trees. Their larvae hatch in the spring and feed voraciously on both needles and leaves of most trees and even some shrubs. While these rainforests rebound quickly, the explosion of understory vegetation and wildlife trees left behind support entire foodwebs of birds, bears, and ungulates.

This illustration was drawn from real life in the northern Inland Temperate Rainforest near the Goat River twenty years after a looper moth event.

The Life after Disturbance series highlights the importance of natural cycles of death and life in primary forests, and cultivates an appreciation for their beauty and ecological value. This series of illustrations showcases landscapes in the wake of four common natural disturbances in Interior BC – fire, spruce beetle, looper moth, and pine beetle. This project documents the rich ecological stories of the diversity of life that thrive in post-disturbance landscapes.