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The scene at Southend Cemetery in Essex is straight out of a horror film with silken threads draped over trees, plants and gravestones.
It has been caused by an invasion of thousands of bird cherry ermine moth caterpillars who have created a vast weblike nest.
Nova Bickmore, 69, could not believe the sight when she visited her father's grave.
She said: There were thousand upon thousand of caterpillars and a silk web all over the trees, which had no leaves left.
Some of the caterpillars were hanging down from the trees and others were all over the floor.
It was a really ghostly scene.
In their caterpillar stage, the bugs, known as web worms, weave leaves of trees together and eat them from their nests.
They feed on bird cherry trees which are found across Europe and when they emerge fully grown, they become distinctive white moths with five rows of black dots.
The scene at Southend Cemetery in Essex is straight out of a horror film with silken threads draped over trees, plants and gravestones.
It has been caused by an invasion of thousands of bird cherry ermine moth caterpillars who have created a vast weblike nest.
Nova Bickmore, 69, could not believe the sight when she visited her father's grave.
She said: There were thousand upon thousand of caterpillars and a silk web all over the trees, which had no leaves left.
Some of the caterpillars were hanging down from the trees and others were all over the floor.
It was a really ghostly scene.
In their caterpillar stage, the bugs, known as web worms, weave leaves of trees together and eat them from their nests.
They feed on bird cherry trees which are found across Europe and when they emerge fully grown, they become distinctive white moths with five rows of black dots.
