Webbed wonders are no cause for alarm

If you’ve spotted some unseasonally spooky-looking web covered trees, fear not, it’s most likely harmless caterpillars.

The Parks Trust, the charity caring for the city’s parks, explains that the warmer weather in April appears to have caused a boom in the local Ermine moth population this year. In some places, the creatures have taken over multiple trees with their web stretching out across the ground too, but they’ll soon transform into moths and flutter away by mid-summer.

Whilst harmless, it is advised not to touch them.

Some trees and hedges may lose a lot of leaves because of the caterpillars, but generally there is no long-lasting damage and the plants usually recover. Younger trees and saplings may fail to survive the winter if they have suffered from extensive defoliation, but the Trust’s experts are monitoring the situation and will manage the hot spot sites accordingly through their winter planting programme.

Carla Boswell, Biodiversity Officer at The Parks Trust says “These tiny creatures may seem like a nuisance in some places, but they’re an essential part of the local ecosystem. Their presence supports other wildlife and contributes to the natural balance of our green spaces”

You can find out more about this strange-looking natural process in The Parks Trust’s latest blog: theparkstrust.com/erminemoth