May 27, 2009

Caterpillar Invasion in Dutch City

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Take a look at the picture above. No, this is not a scene from a horror movie. This is the result of an invasion of caterpillars, that has turned the Spui in the Dutch city of Rotterdam into a scene from a horror movie like this. The city now looks as it would in the middle of winter with trees without a leaf on them.

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So, how it happened? Why the caterpillars invaded the city? Naturally, the Ermine moth eat the leaves on the trees for six weeks long, then the larvae cover the trees in cocoons of silk like giant spider webs and change into a white butterfly with black dots. When the tree has no leaves left, the caterpillars will search for new plants, and crawl with thousands on bikes or cars parked under the trees.

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More pictures of the caterpillar invasion here

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