What’s the forecast Mr. Wooly Bear?, photo by reddeviltj

Wikipedia says that the banded woolly bear caterpillar is the larva of the Isabella tiger moth. As every schoolchild knows, the wooly bear is the Farmer’s Almanac of insect kingdom:

Folklore of the eastern United States holds that the relative amounts of brown and black on the skin of a wooly bear caterpillar (commonly abundant in the fall) are an indication of the severity of the coming winter. It is believed that if a woolly bear caterpillar’s brown stripe is thick, the winter weather will be mild and if the brown stripes are narrow, the winter will be severe. In reality, hatchlings from the same clutch of eggs can display considerable variation in their color distribution, and the brown band tends to grow with age; if there is any truth to the aphorism, it is minimal.

While the wooly bear may not be pushing Al Roker for a job, the wooly bear does produce its own anti-freeze (page also includes some extreme closeups – of the caterpillar, not Roker). If you’re interested in detailed instructions for how to keep wooly bears over the winter, check the Michigan Entomology Society. If you’re interested in simple instructions for how to keep wooly bears with a soundtrack, check here.

This photo is part of Susan’s Bugs set (slideshow).