18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
A Ball of Caterpillars

The caterpillars of the Spindle Ermine moth will strip entire trees of their leaves, before descending en masse from the treetops. They will spin thick strands of silk, lowering themselves by the thousands to the forest floor.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 07.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Netherlands
Camera: NIKON D610
Copyright: © Adri Pendleton