The City of London Corporation is sponsoring an RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden for the first time to highlight the issue of the oak processionary moth (OPM).
Working alongside garden designer Helen Elks-Smith, the corporation hopes to raise awareness of the problem as it manages some of London’s most iconic green spaces like Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath, where trees are 50 and 70 per cent oak respectively.
The garden has a stand of oak trees, shrouded by bespoke textiles that represent the cocoons spun around the chrysalis and the white silken webbing nests characteristic of the moth.
Sue Ireland, director of open spaces at the City of London Corporation, said:
"There's a real opportunity to effectively control and even eradicate OPM, so it's important for green spaces providers to work together and tackle this issue head on.
"The outcome of the partnership control work, led by the Forestry Commission, during 2013 is that across London we had half the nests this year that we had last year."
London is now seeing reports of OPM sightings lower down on oak trees, reaching a size where they are visible after they develop the hairs which contain the irritating protein, causing health issues for people and animals who come into contact.
Earlier this month residents in parts of London and Berkshire were reminded not to touch caterpillars of the oak processionary moth (OPM), as they began to emerge in oak trees in these areas.
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