Rant alert
Earlier this year, both the local Dorset and some national 'redtops' like the Daily Star and The Mirror ran their almost annual "Bug Invaders!" "creepy-crawly horror crisis" "holiday makers afraid to go to the beach" "killer rash" "council inaction disgrace" stories about the Brown-tailed Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea).
ok, so for a short time in spring, their caterpillars emerge from winter 'nests' and if you touch the hairs of the caterpillar, you will get a rash. Then they pupate into adults, lay eggs and turn into the caterpillars you see above that are building their winter homes in which to basically hibernate....and so the seasons turn.
But of course in our modern world, stupidity and the blame culture is far more common than a basic knowledge of how ecosystems work, let alone how those ecosystems have been completely messed up by intensive agriculture, pesticides, herbicides, not to mention our incessant urban sprawl. So, the local council needs to eradicate these caterpillars one way or another, insecticides, fires...hell, let's NUKE the blighters. That'll sort 'em! Oh and whilst at it, the councils should also destroy every single patch of those pesky stinging nettles; send boats out to net jellyfish; mist the air with bug spray to get the flying ants; make bee hives illegal; employ a tic officer to protect tax payers from tics and if in America, call Monsanto in double-quick time to deal with that Poison Ivy.
To put it bluntly, peoples' lack of personal common sense concerning the natural world drives me crazy. I'm not going to stop you if you want to roll about naked in nettles. Go ahead, stick your hand in that wasp nest. That'll make you whoop and holler. Heck, why not pick up that Rattlesnake and get a selfie! It might be your last.
Use common sense and any wildlife knowledge you have and as a general rule, with some exceptions, leave wildlife in the natural world alone and it will do the same to you.
Rant alert
Earlier this year, both the local Dorset and some national 'redtops' like the Daily Star and The Mirror ran their almost annual "Bug Invaders!" "creepy-crawly horror crisis" "holiday makers afraid to go to the beach" "killer rash" "council inaction disgrace" stories about the Brown-tailed Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea).
ok, so for a short time in spring, their caterpillars emerge from winter 'nests' and if you touch the hairs of the caterpillar, you will get a rash. Then they pupate into adults, lay eggs and turn into the caterpillars you see above that are building their winter homes in which to basically hibernate....and so the seasons turn.
But of course in our modern world, stupidity and the blame culture is far more common than a basic knowledge of how ecosystems work, let alone how those ecosystems have been completely messed up by intensive agriculture, pesticides, herbicides, not to mention our incessant urban sprawl. So, the local council needs to eradicate these caterpillars one way or another, insecticides, fires...hell, let's NUKE the blighters. That'll sort 'em! Oh and whilst at it, the councils should also destroy every single patch of those pesky stinging nettles; send boats out to net jellyfish; mist the air with bug spray to get the flying ants; make bee hives illegal; employ a tic officer to protect tax payers from tics and if in America, call Monsanto in double-quick time to deal with that Poison Ivy.
To put it bluntly, peoples' lack of personal common sense concerning the natural world drives me crazy. I'm not going to stop you if you want to roll about naked in nettles. Go ahead, stick your hand in that wasp nest. That'll make you whoop and holler. Heck, why not pick up that Rattlesnake and get a selfie! It might be your last.
Use common sense and any wildlife knowledge you have and as a general rule, with some exceptions, leave wildlife in the natural world alone and it will do the same to you.