CLOSED: CLOSED: The Grand ole' Woolie Bear Caterpillar

morrigan Craryville, NY Sep 09, 2008

I have been of course, finding them everywhere in the last week or two. Can anyone remind me of: 1) whose larvae are they; and 2) what is the old wives' tale about their black vs. brown patches predicting how the winter will be? Is it the more black, the worse the winter? Vice versa? I will try to get some photos tomorrow if its not raining here.....thanks everyone!

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Sep 09, 2008

The term "woolly bear" usually refers to the caterpillar of the Isabella tiger moth; Pyrrharctia isabella. The tale of the width of their reddish median band foretelling winter's severity (the broader the band, the milder the winter) appears without merit - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrharctia_isabella and http://blog.cleveland.com/pdworld/2007/10/29_of_our_favorit_wooly_bears.html

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morrigan Craryville, NY Sep 09, 2008

Thank you Suunto. I thought that was the case....I actually have had them predict some pretty realistic weather patterns...it may be SCIENTIFICALLY without merit, but as an old wife myself(!), I believe some of those tales to have merit merely by their tenacity....it has to be based on SOMEbody's observations....anyway, it was the species I was mainly concerned about. Many thanks.

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