CYCLISTS were stopped in their tracks by an unusual phenomenon near Stawell.
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The trio of Cliff Dudley, Danny Monaghan and Tony Lloyd were riding along a road by Lake Lonsdale when they came across some proccessionary caterpillars.
"We had never seen this phenomenon before, it was really quite remarkable," Mr Dudley said.
"There must have been 80-90 caterpillars stretching over two metres."
The 'itchy grubs' as they are sometimes called, are the caterpillars of the Bag-shelter Moth, Ochrogaster lunifer.
Typically grey and very hairy with a brown head, processionary caterpillars follow each other head-to-tail and form long chains in late summer and autumn.
When a group of them emerge to feed, they form a procession, creeping along and creating the spectacle witnessed by the three riders.
Each caterpillar when it walks, leaves a trail of silk from its spinneret near its mouth. When a caterpillar of the same species encounters the silken trail, it naturally starts to follow it.
Therefore when the caterpillars walk they are inclined to follow each other, nose to tail.
If sighted the caterpillars are best left alone because contact with their long hairs can cause an intensely itchy dermatitis and can result in severe allergic reactions in some people.