Wednesday 2 June 2021

BBC: Huge caterpillar web blankets Yorkshire hedgerow

 

Hedge with caterpillar webIMAGE COPYRIGHTMICK HICKMAN 
image captionDr Phil Sterling, from the Butterfly Conservation charity, said the web was an "impressive infestation"

A huge blanket of caterpillar webs covering almost 100ft (30m) of a hedgerow has been caught on camera.

Photographer Mick Hickman said the webs, near Bawtry, South Yorkshire, were only the second time he had seen the phenomenon.

Small ermine moth caterpillars are thought to have formed the large communal web for their own protection.

Dr Phil Sterling, from the Butterfly Conservation charity, described it as "a very impressive infestation".

Mr Hickman, who took the pictures on Tuesday, said: "I could see nothing but web over a large area. It went down the hedgerow, across the grass and even on to the concrete in some places.

"At first I thought it was a massive spider's web and thought 'that's a bit creepy'. But when I looked closely I saw thousands of harmless caterpillars. 

"It was a good thing to see," he added.


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