Halloween-style Hedgerows

Have you noticed any trees or hedges that seem to have been engulfed in cobwebs, reminiscent of decorations leftover from Halloween? Have you wondered what's going on? Well, all this webbing certainly isn't the work of spiders... it is created by caterpillars!

If you look closely, you will see the little caterpillars hiding safely away from predators inside these incredible web-like structures.

Can you spot them in these photos?

Small white caterpillars with black spots, characteristic of the ermine species of moth.

Will the hedges grow back?

The damage may look quite extreme, but this is something that happens yearly and the hedging will recover. This affected hedge (below)is on the short stretch of path between the Flint Barn Cafe and the Great Broad, so is very easy to come and take a look at if you're at the park. It's a fascinating sight!

What is an ermine moth?

These busy caterpillars (larva) will pupate in their webbing home and emerge as ermine moths, a small species of moth that is particularly keen on hawthorn, blackthorn and wild cherry trees. At Whitlingham Country Park, we plant mixed native hedging, which is why this phenomenon only seems to affect certain parts of a hedge.

This is what a spindle ermine moth looks like. What a beauty! The spots seen on the caterpillars are still present on the moth once they have pupated.

There are various species of ermine moths including the orchard ermine and bird-cherry ermine. The bird-cherry ermine affects cherry trees, as the name suggests, whereas the spindle ermine and orchard ermine prefer to inhabit hawthorn and blackthorn trees and hedges.

Keep an eye out for more webbing around. We hear on the local grapevine there is some along the road to the nearby villages of Caister St Edmund and Stoke Holy Cross too. If you spot any more around the park, please leave them unharmed, but do send us your photos and let us know where you spotted some!