The Wall of Worms

Today, while cycling through the city along river valley paths and the like, Greg and I got caught in a horrifying wall of worms. Literally dozens of little wormy-looking caterpillar-like creatures were dangling by their own silvery threads from tree branches. Some seemed to be roping off with neckbreaking speed, and it only took them a second or two from the tree branch to the ground. Others were just dangling merrily in the wind (had they run out of thread? What's a worm to do in such a situation?). And it wasn't just one wall- we were soon to learn that there is a whole area on the downtown side of the river that is literally covered in worms these days. You can't even imagine the horror of cycling very, very carefully only to suddenly notice that there is a wall of worms ahead and you don't have enough time to stop!

Don't get me wrong, I like caterpillars. They're kind of cute. At least the thick, large, furry kind that move slowly. But these ones were about as thick as knitting yarn and amazingly agile. We had to pick them off one another, and even 20 minutes later when I took off my jacket one of them fell out.

God, was I grossed out. And I'm not ashamed of my screams. But man, if I were a Klingon...

So, does anyone know what the heck is going on with these creatures, and what they are? Neither Greg nor I had ever seen anything like this before. Are they an infestation? I really want them to be. It took me long enough to accept that spiders are a good thing.