Don't fear odd-looking hedgerows

IF you have been driving through roads with hedgerows, have you seen what looks like huge white cobwebs hanging in the hedges?

- Carol Sheppard

I noticed many of these driving around at the weekend.

At first, looking like cobwebs, I thought they must be spiders but have since learnt they are ermine moths.

Spindle ermine moths (Yponomeuta cagnagella, which is a bit of a mouthful) have beautiful white wings with black spots and a darker underbelly.

When the eggs hatch and turn into caterpillars they really are hungry caterpillars and feed voraciously on spindle plants, often found in British hedgerows.

These moths traditionally fly from June to September and their life span is only a year.

Another possible suspect is the oak processionary moth (Thaumetopoea processionea).