It doesn’t seem like the long range weather forecast is any more accurate than the woolly bear caterpillar, but it isn’t a good sign if the woolly bear is carrying ice crystals on its back.
Weather Forecaster
Picture of the Day for November 23, 2020
Apparently this “woolly bear” caterpillar didn’t wiggle enough to shake off this morning’s frost. Folklore says this caterpillar can predict how severe the winter will be. It is also called the hedgehog caterpillar since it curls up into a tight prickly ball and plays dead when disturbed. The caterpillar’s coat will help it freeze more controllably as it hibernates over winter before it thaws in the spring and eventually becomes the Isabella Tiger Moth.
Frosty Woolly Bear
Picture of the Day for August 8, 2017
I noticed more butterflies, especially the Monarchs, while I was mowing today. But before the beautiful butterflies can appear, they first were eggs, which hatch into tiny caterpillars. The caterpillars eat milkweeds for about two week to grow full size, when then they transform into a chrysalis which undergoes a remarkable transformation, called metamorphosis. The end result is a beautiful butterfly, all from a caterpillar.
Monarch Caterpillar
Picture of the Day for September 29, 2016
The critters and creatures have been after my raspberries like the deer eating the plants, chipmunks stuffing their cheeks with berries, picnic beetles chewing holes in the berries but this evening I found a different creature eating a ripe berry. By the time I got my camera, the caterpillar had moved off the berry and tried to look innocent of eating my berries.
The folklore is that the Banded Woolly Bear can predict how bad winter will be and woolly bears with a wide rusty band means a mild winter whereas more black means a harsh winter. And I have seen several all black ones this fall so that is not a good prediction but at least my berry eating caterpillar has a more positive outlook.
But actually the bands tell how the prior season was, as the caterpillar has to molt when its skin becomes too tight as it eats vegetation, and with each new molt, an additional orangish-brown segment is added to the exoskeleton so younger woolly bears have a shorter rusty band. So if prior winter was short with an early spring, the caterpillars emerged earlier and had more time to grow and have more molts and have a wider band.
If the caterpillar endures wetter weather, more black setae are produced and we definitely had a wet fall so that could explain the all black ones I seen.
But even though the woolly bear coloring is based on last years winter, informal research since the 1940’s has determined that the folklore of the woolly bear caterpillar’s coloring has been right 70 percent of the time which is probably better than the meteorologists with all their fancy equipment and computer models.
Raspberry Eating Woolly Bear
Picture of the Day for July 26, 2016
While there are certain types of insects that I really don’t like, including mosquitoes, ticks and wasps, other types don’t ‘bug’ me as much, even if they destroy my garden. But I expect them to stay out of my house and I don’t want to find them on my kitchen table like this caterpillar. And while he might be cute with its furry and spiky look, he would be more appreciated outdoors (and could be a snack for the birds).
But he might not become a snack as his protection works well as this Banded Tussock Moth caterpillar often rests and feeds on the top surfaces of leaves during the daytime. The word “tussock” in its name refers to the clumps of hairs that is thicker or longer than the rest.
Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Picture of the Day for April 16, 2013
The robins have had their tails snowed on more than three times already so it is time for spring to come. On the news last night, there was a question wondering if all the robins were finding food since there are no worms for them to find. A local bird expert said the robins were on a Ramen noodle diet right now and not a Filet Mignon meal plan as they were eating spider eggs and any remaining berries.
The birds that eat flying insects, like the tree swallows and purple martins, are in trouble since it is too cold for flying bugs. So the wrens better stay south as they won’t be finding caterpillars to eat right now like this wren.
Hungry Wren
Picture of the Day for August 16, 2012
While looking at milkweed plants in search of a Monarch caterpillar, I spotted these caterpillars that looked like variegated yarn instead. They were munching on the milkweed and when I looked them up later, I found out they are caterpillars of the Milkweed Tussock Moth so I guess that is why they were on my milkweeds.
Both the Milkweed Tussock Moth and Monarch caterpillars have similar color scheme of black, yellow / orange, white stripes. The colors advertise to predators the toxin they incorporated from the milkweed diet.
But I much rather see a Monarch butterfly flying around than a Milkweed Tussock Moth so these little pieces of yarn better save some milkweed for the Monarch caterpillars since the Tussocks are communal feeders and will feed in large groups. I guess I was lucky that I only spotted three that day before finding one Monarch caterpillar.
Milkweed Tussock Moth Caterpillars
