A friend took this photograph of a hedge near his house yesterday and asked, “is this a spider gone mad?” It does look like a spiders been on the steroids but actually it is not a spider at all. It is the caterpillars of the Orchid Ermine Moth Yponomeuta padella. This is a really fantastic little moth but its the caterpillars that are of fascination here. These hatch out and then spend their larval stage living communally. Each individual from the second it hatches begins to spin working alongside its siblings. Hundreds of caterpillars are now all spinning and for a brilliant reason. They are working together to make a 'tent' over themselves so they can eat, grow and even pupate in safety from their predators. I think that is incredible and if you look carefully at any you find you will either see them in action or all their pupae lined up together. Great little chaps!
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