![]() This is why many are trying to crossroads and sidewalks in the fall just before winter begins. ![]() Mature woolly bears look for overwintering sites under bark or inside rocks or logs.Just like caterpillars, woolly bears hatch during summer from eggs laid by a female moth.The same case happens for all-white woolly caterpillars. An all-black woolly caterpillar does not mean the weather forecast will be a severe endless winter, just that it’s a different species not used in forecasting.Just because it is named Woolly bear doesn’t mean it feels like wool rather, it has short, stiff bristles of hair.That's all there is they just want to sleep for the winter in a dark, sheltered spot.īy springtime, the caterpillar forms a cocoon, and a few weeks later becomes an Isabella tiger moth, which is active at night throughout the summer. Lastly, the caterpillar travels north, south, east or west in search of a place to curl up and hibernate for the winter. The woolly caterpillar’s coat helps it survive the winter, living through temperatures as low as -90 degrees! As a result, we may see many different color and hair variations each fall that would alter the folklore’s forecast. So, the coloring and size of the woolly worm tell us about the past, not the future.Ĭaterpillars shed their skins several times before reaching adult size, and their colors change with their age, too. The width of the banding is an indicator of the current or past season’s growth. The better the preceding growing season, the bigger the woolly worm will grow. In North America, there are over 200 species. The caterpillar’s coloring is thought to be based on its age, how long it’s been feeding and its species. The caterpillar can’t predict what Old Man Winter has in store for the upcoming winter season. As much fun as it is to search for the woolly worm each fall, don’t put your bets on it.
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