What Does the Woolly Bear Know?

by Em
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I’ve seen this graphic many times this fall which connects the amount of black or brown on a Woolly Bear caterpillar to how harsh winter is expected to be.

A graphic showing Woolly Bear caterpillar winter predictions based on the amount of black or brown.

This folklore started in 1948 when a museum curator from New York City collected Woolly Bear caterpillars in a state park for 8 years straight and then worked with a reporter friend to publish a winter forecast in the New York Herald Tribune.

On a walk around the block the other day, I found this caterpillar on the sidewalk:

A photo of a fuzzy black caterpillar on a sidewalk

If I’m playing along, a completely black Woolly Bear means I better pack my suitcases for Florida now because it’s going to be the harshest winter of all!

After some snooping online, this could very well be an all-black Woolly Bear, or it could be a different species of caterpillar altogether.

It was a chilly day and he was doing a little sunbathing. I didn’t want to poke him for a better ID.

A close-up photo of a fuzzy black caterpillar on a sidewalk.

So far the forecast for November in southern Wisconsin is calling for above-normal temperatures and precipitation (which would most likely fall as rain).

I’m not packing my suitcases yet!

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