Ermine moths are common summer moths, so I thought it would be nice to look at three of them I caught at the weekend.

Often a pest on fruit trees their caterpillars are protected by a cocoon like a silken web around the leaves of the tree - in this case apple or bird-cherry. The Apple Ermine is pretty much identical in appearance to the Orchard Ermine (found on blackthorn, hawthorn or cherry) and the Spindle Ermine (Spindle tree). I put them down as Apple Ermines as I definitely have this species caterpillars on my apple tree. Bird-cherry Ermine does look a little different with neat lines of black spots. The third species is a Thistle Ermine, which is a bit bigger and actually though it looks similar, not from the same family - as the name suggests its caterpillars are found on thistles, but not in the same kind of silk web.