Sunday, 14 February 2016

A procession of caterpillars



This morning I came across a couple of lines of caterpillars of the Pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) as they made their way along a path in the hills near La Garriga. Having spent the winter in their nest in the pine trees, the caterpillars move in a procession along the ground looking for a place to pupate underground.

These fuzzy little caterpillars can cause a nasty reaction to the skin if touched and I remember when my son was only young and we were walking in the same area and, unbeknownst to us, a caterpillar got inside his t-shirt. His skin came out in a severe rash and we had to get to the doctors' quickly.

Pine processionary nest

Pine processionary caterpillar / Oruga de processionaria del pi (Thaumetopoea pityocampa)






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