Photos courtesy of the National Park Service
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is a tiny exotic invasive species that gets its name from it's woolly white protective covering and because its host is the hemlock tree. Adults, as well as the nymphs, suck sap from young twigs on hemlock trees and cause the hemlock needles to dry out and drop, eventually killing the trees. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is currently involved in an aggressive attempt to manage this invasive exotic pest using several methods. For more information, see Save Our Hemlocks.