Pine caterpillars or Thaumetopoea pityocampa are common to Spain and France. Normally found nesting in the abundance of pine trees on hillsides in this area, they have a terrifying reputation. So called because they travel nose to tail in a line,processional pine caterpillars are quite small, but they present a major danger to trees and animals, and can cause a severe allergic reaction in humans. The caterpillar’s ‘fur’ is where the danger lies. It is in fact a layer of poisonous harpoon-like spines that remain toxic even when the caterpillar has died.
