Thousands of caterpillars were spotted shrouding a tree in webbing in North Yorkshire.

The footage, captured on the banks of the River Wharfe near Kilnsey, shows the caterpillars’ silk web covering the trunk and the branches of a tree.

The crawling creatures are thought to be ermine moth caterpillars, which form a protective web to protect themselves from predators whilst feeding.

The phenomenon can be seen in late spring and beginning of the summer as caterpillars prepare to transform into moths in July and August.

The crawling creatures are thought to be the larvae of the Ermine Moth, which form communal webs, as seen in the photo.
Their presence is rare, but not unheard of when the weather gets warmer.
It is often put down to a lack of predators, like ladybirds, killed-off during the cold Spring.