Do Woolly Bears Predict The Weather?

1/2/2019

Did you realize that the woolly bear caterpillar’s coat and its color are all clues to the sort of winter we’ll have?

This time of year, these caterpillars are looking for a sheltered and dark spot to hibernate as larvae during the winter months. The caterpillar is also called the woolly bear caterpillar, the banded woolly bear even a hedgehog caterpillar since it coils into a tight ball and acts like its dead when bothered. Do woolly bears predict the weather? According to legend, they do.

The caterpillar has segments of black and rusty brown. Typically, there is a rust-colored section in the middle and black at both ends. The Farmers Almanac states you may see them almost all rust or all black. A myth says that the broader the rusty brown band, the minor the winter. The bigger the black band, the longer, snowier, severer, and colder the winter will be.

How Woolly Bear Caterpillar Winter Weather Prediction Works

If the head part of the caterpillar is dark, the start of winter will be harsh. If the tail is dark, the winter’s end will be cold. Also, many tree care professionals believe that since says the woolly bear has 13 segments to its body, it corresponds to the 13 weeks of winter.

It's also said that the coat of the woolly bear caterpillar will display the following winter's brutality. The more luxurious the coat, the colder the winter. Lastly, take a look at the direction the caterpillar is traveling. If the woolly bear's creeping south, it's attempting to escape the cold winter of the north. If the woolly bear's crawling north, the winter is going to be milder. Woolly bears get their name from their fuzzy look.

Every fall, woolly bear caterpillars take shelter beneath leaves and other vegetation. During the springtime, they finish their conversion and become Isabella tiger moths. Folks who think that woolly worms can foresee the weather believe that a narrow red-brown band indicates a lousy winter. The bigger the red-brown band is, the milder the coming winter is going to be.

How accurate are woolly worm caterpillars at foretelling the weather?

Truth be told, not so right. Scientists who have tested their predictions have discovered that there is no connection between winter and a woolly worm's bands.