'Spooky' trees spotted alongside River Soar Navigation in Leicestershire

Tess Rushin
·2-min read

Trees coated in ghostly white shrouds caused a reader to ask LeicestershireLive whether they were infected, and, if they were, to find out what the council responsible was doing about the issue. The "spooky" sight was spotted by 63-year-old Gail, from Rothley, along the River Soar Navigation, which forms part of the Grand Union Canal.

She said she saw the eerie-looking sight between Sileby Mill and Cossington Lock when she was out walking on Wednesday June 5. Despite their appearance, however, a spokesman for Leicestershire County Council has confirmed the white coating is a natural occurrence and is caused by a species of moth.

A page dedicated to the phenomenon on the website of the charity butterfly-conservation.org is entitled 'Don't worry about ermine webs'. It states: "At this time of year we often receive reports of ghostly, silken webbing covering sections of hedgerows and, on occasions, individual trees. Although it can look rather sinister, don't be alarmed. The most likely culprit is a harmless caterpillar."

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The webs, visible from May, look like they could be straight out of a film set. They can house tens of thousands of caterpillars of a group of moths called the small ermine moths, the website explains.

The webs and caterpillars are harmless and usually last from May to June, it adds. The webs disappear over the summer and typically the hedgerow shrubs/trees recover. The adult moths fly later in summer and all look similar, being white or greyish with many small black dots, hence the ermine name, the charity added.

Gail said: "I don’t walk this way very regularly but do every now and then as it is a beautiful walk along the Soar Navigation. I noticed the moths and trees and took the photos."

A spokesman for the county council's tree team said: "It is quite natural and most likely caused by a species of ermine moth. It seems to have been a good year for them.

"It is not necessary to take any action. It is a natural occurrence which for various reasons is more noticeable in certain years."

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