Caterpillar camp

If you don't like creep-crawlies this is not for you but, just about now, in late April/early May, the warm weather sees a rash of gossamer tents strung in shrubs and bushes along the coast path, each one packed with little campers - not holiday makers but the caterpillars of the Lackey Moth.

The eggs are laid spirally around twigs and after hatching the caterpillars spin these silky communal cocoons which provide shelter and protection from the cold. They feed at night on the young leaves (blackthorn in this case) and during the daytime can be seen basking on the exterior of their tents in huge numbers like sunbathers on an overcrowded beach. Some of the other tents I saw were covered with massed larvae and as they sensed my presence they began to drop off like free-fall parachuters, to climb back up when the threat had passed.

The larvae moult three times before they reach full size and at that stage they leave the cocoon and become solitary before pupation. The desiccated remains of the moulted skins can be seen here with black bobbles that were the heads. The three caterpillars on the right are full size - rather handsome fellows with a blue stripe and orange 'fur'. The adult moth however is a dowdy creature, named for its inconspicuous attire.

There is another moth, the Browntail, which forms similar colonies and is a serious health hazard as its hairs are allergenic and can provoke asthma attacks in the sensitive but fortunately the Lackey does not represent a danger.

More detail, more larvae.