A Tent Full Of Very Hungry Caterpillars

My sister and I took her Ollie dog for a walk along the sea wall at Burnham on Crouch. I was hoping for terns and whitethroats but the weather was so cold and windy I'm not surprised that the birds seemed to be hiding. I got a reasonable pic of a kestrel, a couple of red-legged partridges and had just shot the egret that we always seem to see in position opposite Wallasea wharf, when we spotted this caterpillar tent on an oak bush.

I used my long lens with my birds in flight settings so my image isn't very detailed, however the two orange spots and the hairs on the caterpillars can just be seen. They're brown-tail moth larvae and have been tucked up in their tough silken tent all winter. Now that the gorgeous, young, lime-green leaves of the oak have unfurled they're ready to munch.

These moths seem to favour east coast sea walls. I've noticed loads of tents on all sorts of shrubs on the sea wall at Heybridge. The caterpillars carry up to two million spiked and barbed hairs, which can penetrate skin, causing an irritant reaction. For asthmatics and hay fever sufferers, it is important that the hairs are not inhaled as these may cause severe breathing difficulties. People who have sensitive skin or who suffer from eczema should also take extra care to avoid them.

I managed a shot of a lovely green woodpecker, spotted by my sister and sadly obscured by twigs, just before we got back to the car as the heavens opened.