photography, artwork, stories, thoughts, words by hcmorris77
January 3, 2021
This is a rarity – for me – two on a Sunday!
But I just had to share!
I found this little guy – or gal – yesterday, Saturday, January 2, 2021 – while out splitting wood with my boyfriend. Actually, we had finished up and were covering the wood back up because it’s raining today.
You know the meaning of black woolly bears, right? The saying goes that the bigger the black stripe on the caterpillar the harsher the winter is going to be…but what about an all black caterpillar?
I looked it up… they’re are different “types” of woolly bear caterpillars, the one above is a Giant Leopard Caterpillar, the one below is the woolly bear or banded caterpillar. The caterpillar above doesn’t predict winter conditions!
Woolly Bear Caterpillars…
So, the caterpillar I found isn’t the woolly bear that predicts winter weather, it could have fooled me! It is actually a Giant Leopard caterpillar…
Some sites that I looked at say that the Giant Leopard Caterpillar is the weather predictor, this just isn’t true. The banded one is the weather predictor… the black caterpillar I found yesterday stays like that all year.
Like I mentioned earlier, the black bands of the banded woolly bear, predict the winter weather…the more rust color their is, the milder the winter. The lengths of the bands can also predict the type of winter:
Although the caterpillar I found looks like a woolly bear, and technically it is, it’s not the one we look to for winter weather conditions. After taking two photos of my new little friend, I stuck him back out in the garden and covered him with some leaves. I’m sure he’ll find a good place to over winter. Maybe I’ll find his cocoon sometime!
(pinterest)
hope you have a great day!
thanks for stopping by!!
“The caterpillar grows wings during a season of isolation. Remember that the next time you’re alone.”
~ Mandy Hale
(pinterest)
take care
stay safe
much love
I think those little critters are so cute! I haven’t seen one around here in a long time, but I do like when I do. It was interesting to read about them. 🙂
Thank you! I think they’re interesting critters too. As cold as it’s been, I was surprised it was still alive, but they do over-winter. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for black cocoons.