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EmailIt's time again to shine the spotlight on a certain caterpillar. The larva of the Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), this fuzzy fellow is called the banded woolly bear, or woolly worm.
He is often black with a rust-colored band in the middle, although he might be almost all black or all rust.
Folklore says that if the rusty band is wide, then it will be a mild winter. The more black there is, the more severe the winter. Read more about this weather lore.
For more woolly worm fun, check out the Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk, North Carolina. At this annual October event, woolly worms race up to the top of their 3-foot-long strings, accompanied by thousands of cheers. The bands of the winner predict the coming winter.
Have you seen a woolly worm in your area? What did it look like? Feel free to share your experience.
Heidi Stonehill, our Senior Editor, joined the team in 2001. She enjoys the natural sciences, gardening, music, art, poetry, and animals—especially her fuzzy feline, Tig.
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Comments
I saw a wooly bear a few days
I saw a wooly bear a few days ago and it had two black stripes and one rust stripe that seemed to be divided almost equally in thirds.
I have not seen many woolly
I have not seen many woolly bears this year and saw only 8-9 butterflies all summer.
Dean
The first woolly bear I've
The first woolly bear I've seen so far in south east Kentucky had unequal black bands, the back was smaller.
the only 1 ive seen so far
the only 1 ive seen so far this year was solid white
I did NOT see many wooly
I did NOT see many wooly worms this year....why? The one I did see showed me his orange band.....and he did not have a very black, thick coat...!
I have seen a few Woolly
I have seen a few Woolly Bears in the last week or so here in the Shenandoah Valley. They all were just about black.
I saw one a few weeks ago in
I saw one a few weeks ago in n.Alabama and it was all black.
I saw one a few weeks ago in
I saw one a few weeks ago in North Alabama and it was solid black.
Here on Eastern Shore of
Here on Eastern Shore of Maryland we are loaded with them! For what it's worth, right now they are mostly rust colored. It's been quite warm, no frost yet.
I'm from delmar on the
I'm from delmar on the eastern shore of maryland, and the most I have seen have been mostly rust with little black and white ones.
I live in Western West
I live in Western West Virginia and every wooly worm I've seen are completely black.
I live in PA and the wooly
I live in PA and the wooly bears have a small black band in front and back the middle is brown and larger than the black ....MILD winter? I always have faith in them. I am 72 years old so I know these wooly creatures a long time.
Far north central Wisconsin,
Far north central Wisconsin, the only wooly bear I saw was all black. They have been rare up here in the last 5 years. Because of drought?
I saw one a couple of weeks
I saw one a couple of weeks ago and it had a big brown band! I'm ready for another mild winter. I live in central Michigan.
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