In my yard, I discovered something very strange. At first glance, it appeared to be a long, winding rope laying on the grass, as if it had been dropped on purpose. But then I realized, “What if it’s a snake?!” My heart started racing. I instantly grabbed my phone, took a photo, and, pumped up, started to approach. Every step felt stiff; the thought of something harmful was terrifying.

When I got close enough to look, I was overcome with horror. There wasn’t a rope. It was not a snake, either. In front of me crawled a slow-moving column of roughly 150 caterpillars, which I subsequently counted