The Legend of the Woolly Bear.

When is a woolly bear caterpillar not a woolly bear caterpillar? Well, there are many answers to that depending on the area you live in and what you believe. The standard woolly bear has a black front and rear with a brown center and exits its cacoon in the spring as the Isabella Tiger Moth. However, if you do a google search for "types of woolly bear caterpillars" you will see that there are quite a few varieties that fall into that category. The one in the photograph above is the Spotted Tussock Moth Woolly Bear caterpillar. It is also known as the Yellow Spotted Tiger Moth.

The Woolly Bear Legend is one steeped in research, although the truth is probably more in line with superstition than fact. If you examine the size of the brown center relative to the black ends of the Isabella Tiger Moth caterpillar (not the one in the above photo) you can predict the severity of the coming winter. The larger the brown central area the milder the winter. Conversely, a small center region separating large head and anal zones suggest a harsh winter ahead. Not only that but the supposition of how amiable or dreadful it will be can be ascertained. Who needs the farmer's almanac if you've got woolly bears around?

Then there is the question related to toxicity. While it is true that some caterpillars can cause a rash (the Gypsy Moth for one), woolly bear caterpillars are generally harmless to pick up and hold. I have captured many different tiger moth species, both caterpillar and adult, and never had a problem with handling them. This is not completely true for all tiger moths, as the Garden tiger moth can irritate some individuals. Eating woolly bear caterpillars, on the other hand, is an extremely bad idea. Not only because of the ich factor (yuck!) but because their body fluids contain neurotoxins. Those bright colours are not there to make them look pretty; it is nature's method of telling you to stay away.

You may find the caterpillars in the early fall when I found this fellow. They climb down from their feeding areas and search for a dark place to hibernate for the winter. They do not freeze (thanks to that amazing blood of theirs) and pupate in the spring to arise as adults ready to mate and lay eggs. I guess the question would be, does the caterpillar know when to hibernate because of the size of the middle section, or is it based more on ambient temperatures? Will science ever be able to answer that question?

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen

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