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This year there seems to be an unusually high number of these ermine moth webs on plants, not only on campus but around the country, which is partly attributed to the recent dry and warm weather.

Whilst the webs create a somewhat "spooky" atmosphere and the caterpillars do eat the leaves of the host plants, overall the phenomenon is considered to be harmless to the environment. Once the caterpillars turn into moths, the plants tend to regenerate without any long-term or permanent damage. Moreover, moths and their caterpillars are an important food source for a variety of animals including bats and birds. In fact, a very interesting recent studyLink opens in a new window demonstrated that blue tit populations in the UK flourish in years when moths are more abundant. And a lot of invertebrates are needed to achieve this because a blue tit pair may need to provide up to 1,000 caterpillars per dayLink opens in a new window for their developing chicks!

You can help monitoring the presence of wild plants and animals and phenomena such as this ermine moth boom by using the iNaturalist citizen science app, which is an important source of information for conservation organisations and scientists around the globe.