App for Reporting Toxic Caterpillars Sees Surge in Users

An appeal from Denmark's Agency for Areal Planning and Water Management has dramatically boosted the popularity of the nature identification app 'Arter.' The agency encouraged the public to use the app to distinguish between the potentially harmful oak processionary caterpillar and harmless larvae found in nature.

This public service announcement resulted in a massive influx of new users. Over a single weekend, the app gained nearly 2,200 new users, a tenfold increase compared to the typical daily rate for this time of year. This surge saw 'Arter' climb to the number one spot on Apple's App Store for free apps in Denmark by Saturday, placing it alongside major platforms like Uber and ChatGPT.

The app's sudden rise in popularity is directly linked to increased public attention on the oak processionary caterpillar, often dubbed the 'caterpillar from hell.' Users can submit photos of caterpillars they find, and the app uses an extensive image library to help identify them. Expert curators then quality-check the submissions, providing a reliable species determination.

"Arter draws on an extensive image library and provides a very reliable suggestion for which caterpillar one is facing," said project leader Payana Parton. "Arter can likely be a very useful tool for many because you get certainty about what kind of caterpillar you are dealing with. And there are many completely harmless caterpillars in nature right now."

The free app is a collaborative effort between the Agency for Areal Planning and Water Management and the Natural History Museum of Denmark. While its peak popularity on the charts was temporary, the initiative successfully engaged the public in identifying and reporting on a species of concern.

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Arter draws on an extensive image library and provides a very reliable suggestion for which caterpillar one is facing. Arter can likely be a very useful tool for many because you get certainty about what kind of caterpillar you are dealing with. And there are many completely harmless caterpillars in nature right now.