Big, hungry caterpillar crawls into Shrewsbury neighbourhood's heart
With its long antennae and big, cheeky grin, there's a hungry caterpillar that has crawled its way into the hearts of a Shrewsbury neighbourhood.
Ashley, the Ashley Street caterpillar, was lovingly carved into a hedge by Adam Shipp back in 2003 and has become a popular mini tourist attraction among local families.
Adam and his family often decorate and dress up their big, green friend for special occasions such as Halloween.
During the coronavirus lockdown, some local children put old wellies along the bottom for its feet.
Adam said: "It was inspired by my granddad. He had a dragon in his garden and I used to play with it as a kid.
"When we moved in here there was a big bush and I thought I'd be able to shape it into something interesting. We decided to make it into a caterpillar. We put in the eyes and mouth and let the antennae grow as they have. It's been there since 2003.
"We had three young kids at the time so I did it to entertain them. Two of them have grown up and left home now.
"We've decorated it for Halloween before. We put pumpkins in the eyes so they light up and put some trousers in its mouth so it looked like it had eaten somebody.
"People do comment on it when we're out in the front garden and say 'We love your caterpillar'."
An Ashley Street neighbour who draws comics for Marvel created a cartoon version of Ashley to be the symbol for the street's eco-friendly initiatives. Jackie Jones, Adam's wife, does regular cardboard collections with neighbours and clothes swaps to try and save on waste.
Adam added: "It has become a bit of an emblem."
