WOOLY BEAR CATERPILLAR

I followed this wooly bear caterpillar around today trying to get a picture with a little detail – finally was able to get an angle showing its face and legs. Evidently the wooly bear will go dormant during the winter months, but it produces its own antifreeze so its cells don’t freeze. Then in the spring it will become a yellow Isabella Tiger Moth. The idea that this caterpillar can predict the severity of winter is really folklore – their black & rust colored bands change size as they mature, with nothing to do with the weather. They are not poisonous and don’t sting for defense, although someone with very sensitive skin can get dermatitis from handling them.

Wooly bear caterpillars have 6 lateral eyes (3 on each side), and what may look like eyes are really short antennae on the face. They have two different kinds of legs – near the face there are three pair of little black ‘thoracic legs’ with a tiny claw at the end, and then along the abdomen segments there are four pair of ‘prolegs’. (These are the four that look like he’s wearing little round orange shoes.) These prolegs have a series of tiny hooks on the bottom called crochets which help the caterpillar to grip.