A separate post for these caterpillars today that I saw while out on my walk this morning.
The Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)
These most frequently occur in the South and South East of England. The caterpillars feed on a wide variety of deciduous trees such as hawthorn and blackthorn as well as bramble. I hadn't noticed them before on my walk, but I saw their silk webs today and went and had a closer look.
I took several photos of them as can be seen below and came home to look up what they were only to discover there are health warnings about them!
They have urticating (stinging) hairs that can cause skin reactions that can require medical treatment. Strong winds and any disturbance may cause the hairs to become airborne and can breathing problems. These are just beside the footpath of a regular walk of mine. Strange I haven't noticed them before.
I think these are the same as the ones I've seen in trees in Canada. They can be very nasty indeed I'm told.
ReplyDeleteYes, things in nature that are very brightly coloured, or spiky, often are not as 'nice' as we think, but are very good protection for them!
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