Startled and all curled up, the larval form of the Isabella Tiger Moth, Pyrrharctia isabella.This adorably fuzzy caterpillar is more commonly known as the Woolly Bear, or, further south, the Woolly Worm. According to folklore, the woolly bear is a winter weather predictor. The wider the middle reddish-brown band (the more brown colored segments there are), the milder the winter supposedly will be. Even though there is no scientific proof for the caterpillars ability to portend our weather conditions, over the years they've been observed, their color predictors have been surprisingly accurate.
Camera shy Woolly Bear on the run...From the width of his brown middle band of 7 or 8 segments, it looks like we won't be faring too badly this winter! Earlier this season, I also came across some woolly bears that were entirely reddish-brown in color.
Moving up!In this last photograph above, you can definitely see the wooliness of the Woolly Bear and see how it got it's name. The caterpillar's actually a little more fuzzy feeling than he is woolly...but woolly bear sounds as cute as this little guy is - a favorite fall mascot!
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