Woolly Bear Caterpillar

I was out in the yard on Thanksgiving morning cleaning out the chicken coop - well it's not really a coop just yet, more like a pen but it needed cleaning regardless so let's not split hairs here OK? Anyway, as I was pitch-forking the bedding out I came across a nice fat Woolly Bear caterpillar. We'd seen a number of them as the fall approached but never this late in the year. I guess the mild New England weather has kept these dudes, as well as other insects and critters, on the move and from going into a full hibernation.

I scooped this dude up and placed him in my jacket pocket for safe keeping and not to lose him - I didn't squish him either AND I actually remembered he was there too! Anyway, as I typically do, this dude was going to Emilie. Let me tell you Emilie eye's lit up when she saw him and screamed, "a woolly bear". She was in her glory with this critter. He was relegated to a Winnie the Pooh dixie cup for several days, which was it's safe haven from when Emilie wasn't holding him and playing with and making him do tricks, stunts etc. She came to us with the boot from one of her dolls - a 'hootchy mama' boot if you will. You know the long, knee high black boots...anyway guess where the woolly bear was 'stuck'?!?! Between you and me he wasn't stuck, he simply found a safe place to stay hidden. Eventually he made his way out and Emilie was once again in her glory. We let him go just the other day, much to his relief and looking forward to finding a safe place to winter.

Woolly bears caterpillars were thought to predict how a coming winter was going to be. According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter. But most scientists discount the folklore of woolly bear predictions as just that, folklore.