Posted on:
Whilst the others were skiing down to the Loma de Dilar from the Sierra Nevada ski centre I had a fantastic drive through the Cumbres Verdes in stunning scenery and started my walk up to meet them from the Cortijuela.
I was on my own without the dogs for a change, which enabled me to get to see some wildlife before it got frightened off by the dogs. I walked up through a pine forest with a stream running through it and plenty of melting snow. I saw lots of birds but im afraid I dont know what they were, I also saw 2 Red Squirrels, one who sat on branch but I couldnt get the lense cap off the camera quick enough so missed out on that photo. Along the track up I came across many lines of Pine Processionary Caterpillars so I was glad I didnt have the dogs with me.
These harmless looking caterpillars (which turn into moths) can be very dangerous to pets (mainly dogs as they are inquisitive) and some humans. When disturbed they shed their fine hairs which irritate our skin causing very itchy rashes, if the hairs get into the eye, nose or throat area, then im sure you can work out the trouble you may get into. Even just sitting under a tree with the nests in can cause you to get a rash. Children have been known to go temporarily blind from rubbing their eyes after picking them up and many dogs have lost their lives or part of their tongue!
They are a big problem in Spain and are devastating forests because they make many nests in one tree and eventually kill it, it seems to be a big problem in this area. These next few photos show you the devastation in just a few trees, let alone the forest. There is alot of information on the internet about these little critters.
So after pottering my way up, taking many useless photos, the skiers eventrually showed up in the far distance, so I sat down and started taking more photos, but this time of them who were very surprised to see that I had found them in the middle of know where.
Comments #
Graham: Who`d have thought something so harmless looking as those caterpillars could cause so much harm to humans and animals.
Tagged with:
More posts:
- Next: China - Dictators to the World
- Previous: Veggie News - White Broccoli