Curran, curator of insects at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, took his wife 40 miles north of the city to Bear Mountain State Park to look at woolly bear caterpillars.ĭr.

Watch this short video How the Woolly Bear Caterpillar Became “Famous”

The wider the rusty brown sections (or the more brown segments there are), the milder the coming winter will be. The more black there is, the more severe the winter. So, if you spot an entirely black caterpillar, it isn’t forecasting an apocalyptic winter!) ( Note: All-black, all-white, or yellow woolly caterpillars are not woolly bears! They are simply different species and are not part of the woolly worm lore. Often, it is black on both ends with rust-colored segments in the middle, although it may sometimes be mostly black or mostly rust. In terms of appearance, the caterpillar has 13 distinct segments of either rusty brown or black. In others, such as New England and the Midwest, people tend to call them “ woolly bears.” (Worm or not, at least we can all agree that they’re not bears!) Nonetheless, the name “worm” has stuck, at least in some parts of the United States. Just how true is this weather lore? Learn more about this legendary caterpillar and how to “read” the worm! The Woolly Worm Legendįirst of all, the “ woolly worm” is not a worm at all! It’s a caterpillar specifically, the larva of the Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella). The more black there is, the more severe the winter. Woolly bear caterpillars-also called woolly worms-have a reputation for being able to forecast the coming winter weather. If their rusty band is wide, then it will be a mild winter.

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