E. L. Trouvelot

Étienne Léopold Trouvelot (December 26, 1827 – April 22, 1895) was a French artist, astronomer and amateur entomologist.

He is noted for the import and release of the gypsy moth, also known as the spongy moth, into North America. The spread of the moths as an invasive species has resulted in damage to millions of trees throughout the eastern United States.

Biography

Trouvelot was born at Aisne, France. Little is known about his early life, although it is possible he was a republican and anti-royalist. Following a coup d'état by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte in 1851, he fled with his family to the United States. They settled in the town of Medford, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, at the address of 27 Myrtle St. There he supported himself and his family as an artist and astronomer.

Trouvelot had an interest as an amateur entomologist. In the U.S., silk-producing moths were being killed off by various diseases. Trouvelot was very interested in Lepidoptera larvae including native North American silk moths which he believed could potentially be used for silk production. For reasons that remain unknown, Trouvelot brought some spongy moth egg masses from Europe in the mid-1860s and was raising spongy moth larvae in the forest behind his house. Unfortunately, some of the larvae escaped into the nearby woods. Trouvelot likely mentioned the escape to local entomologists, and an entomology journal from 1870 claims the incident occurred the previous year. Some sources say Trouvelot issued warnings to government officials, but there is no record of these communications. If he did, no officials were willing to assist in searching out and destroying the moths.