Poison caterpillar on the move

PROCESSIONARY caterpillers, found in much of France, are out in their single-file formations.

Look but do not touch as the hairs can cause serious skin irritation and damage to the eyes. If a dog eats one it can cause death from thirst if the hairs become lodged in the tongue.

The chenille processionnaire lives in pines over winter, then heads out to find ground to burrow into and start a pupating process, emerging in late summer as a moth, which lays its eggs in the trees.