These are in fact caterpillar nests, constructed by the pine processionary caterpillar (chenille processionnaire) larva, who live in large ‘tents’ and march out at night in single file (hence the name) to feed on the pine needles.
We wouldn’t have been there at all if The Cat had had his way. Linda Razzell’s amusing account of moving to France, cat and all!
There are so many beautiful and affectionate animals in shelters around the region just waiting to love you. So if you’re looking for a furry friend, please do think hard before you buy from a breeder.
La SPA (Société Protectrice des Animaux) was created in 1845 by Doctor Etienne Pariset. Touched by the poor treatment of many cart and carriage horses on the streets of Paris, the society was at first devoted to the welfare of horses. It grew quickly, thanks to support from several renowned French ‘intellectuals’ such as Victor Hugo and Guy de Maupassant.
Here in the P-O, we live amongst the vines but some grapes and raisins are believed to have a high toxicity for dogs, and can cause kidney failur
The mosquito, (‘little fly’ in Spanish) has been around for more than 30 million years.
If you find your dog shaking its head violently from side to side, and pawing its ear, this could mean that it has a grass seed in its ear which, if not removed, can cause…
Beware the Oleander shrub, popular in the P-O for its evergreen qualities and delicate flowers and planted in quantity to jazz up roadsides, and gardens.
Phlebotomus actually comes from the Greek phleps, phlebos meaning ‘vein’ referring to the blood sucking habit of sand flies. These ‘sandflies’ small, hairy species of mosquito, can carry and transmit leishmaniasis, (pronounced leash man eye a sis), a disease first recorded in the Pyrénées-Orientales in 1920.
After contact with the processionary caterpillars, I was in agony for a couple of weeks until I saw your posting – and it helped the doctors by giving them a diagnosis. So – please let ladies know that they should cross their legs!