Inchworms attack in Alaska

Chomping inchworms are stripping the leaves off native trees and shrubs in parts of the Eagle River in Alaska. At high elevations, the infestation has left pockets so gray and bare the landscape looks like spring never came.

''It's quite dramatic. I mean there's complete defoliation. Everything is stripped bare,'' said Michael Rasy, pest management technician for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service.

The larvae are commonly called inchworms or loopers because of how they loop up, then stretch out as they crawl along. They typically 1/2-inch to one inch long.