Woolly Bear Caterpillar

Description:

Caterpillar, to 2 1/8" (55 mm), is black, covered with stiff bristles, and has a broad band of red-brown bristles around the middle.

Habitat:

Throughout North America, in Meadows, pastures, uncultivated fields, and road edges. Caterpillar feeds on low herbaceous plants of many kinds, mostly wild; it seldom attacks crops or ornamentals.

Notes:

Familiar since Colonial times as the "Woolly Bear," the caterpillar is often seen crossing roads and paths on warm days in late fall. According to superstition, the amount of black in the caterpillar's bristle coating forecasts the severity of the coming winter. Actually, the coloration indicates how near the caterpillar is to full growth before autumn weather stimulates it to seek a winter shelter.