The Winter Predictor Worm

Here is a picture of the Wooly Bear caterpillars that Emilie has caught, so far, this fall. Each time she finds one in the oven it goes. Oh, don't be silly, not a real over - heaven forbid! She has one of them there Little Tyke, plastic, kitchenette thingy that has been relegated to the pool area. The oven unit is on top, has a clear door and makes for a perfect critters holder...

Wooly Bear Fun Facts and folklore:
Woolly worms have very tiny eyes and a limited range of sight. They pass through up to 6 larval stages before reaching the stage most see in the fall; during which the color and size of its bands on the 13 body segments may change. It is those 13 bands that folklorists use to help predict the weather. According to folklore:

• The amount of black in the fall varies proportionately with the severity of the upcoming winter.
• The longer the black bands, the longer, colder, snowier and more severe the winter will be.
• And the position of the bands indicates which parts of winter will be the coldest.
• If the head is dark, the winter starts out severe.
• If the tail is dark, the end will be cold.
• Since the Woolly Bear has 13 body segments, folklorists believe that each segment corresponds to one of the 13 weeks of winter. So reading each band could conceivably forecast each week of the winter.
• Also known as the Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar, Wooly Worm and Wooly Bear (approved name of the Entomological Society of America).

Other signs include thicker coats meaning colder winters and if they seem to be traveling south, they are trying to escape the cold conditions of the north. If they are traveling north, however, it indicates a milder winter.

Through the years, research has shown us that the Woolly Bear caterpillar’s coloring is actually based on how long the caterpillar has been feeding, its age and, of course, the species. The better the growing season, the bigger it will grow and this results in a narrower red-orange band in its middle. So, the width of the banding is really an indicator of the current or past season’s growth, rather than an indicator of the severity of the upcoming winter. And as these caterpillars may molt as many as 6 times before reaching adult size and the colors will change with each molt, they become less black and more reddish.