Woolly Bear

They are fuzzy fat caterpillars with 13 segments to their bodies. Typically, the bands at the ends of the caterpillar are black, and the one in the middle is reddish-brown or orange, giving the woolly bear its distinctive striped appearance. The most familiar caterpillar of 11000 moths in North America is the subject of a myth that suggests the wider the middle reddish-brown band is the milder the winter. An average of 5-6 segments means the winter will be mild. Apparently this little forecaster, the larval form of Pyrrharctia isabella, the Isabella tiger moth, is 80% accurate in determining the severity of the winter.

Myth or not, I was running the other day and almost stepped on a woolly bear as it made its way across the road. I stopped to ask the little guy where he was going. After all, it is January. This time of the year they should be tucked away under bark and leaves patiently waiting for spring when they emerge to spin a cocoon.

I picked the little guy up and put him in the leaves along the side of the road, taking note of the very wide band around his body.

Yesterday it reached 71 degrees in Albany.