A cyclist was surprised when he spotted a huge caterpillar nest believed to belong to Ermine moth caterpillars.

Pictures show the caterpillars draped across trees. 

Ermine moths are small to medium white moths with small black spots on the forewing. 

Chelmsford Weekly News:

They are found in most habitats including gardens, hedgerows, grassland, heathland, moorland, woodland and on the coast. 

Jim Yiangou spotted this phenomenon cycling back from Heybridge earlier this week. 

Although the webs look rather sinister, they are nothing to worry about. 

Chelmsford Weekly News:

The webs can hide hundreds and sometimes tens of thousands of caterpillars and are designed to provide protection from predators through safety in numbers. 

They usually last from May to June before slowly disappearing over the summer.