Banded woolly bear (Isabella tiger moth caterpillar)

Description:

The common moth Pyrrharctia isabella is known by different common names at its two main life stages. The adult is the Isabella Tiger Moth and the larva is called the Banded Woolly Bear. The larvae of many species of Arctiid moths are called "woolly bears" because of their long, thick, furlike setae (they are mostly spotted all black than they are as seen below). This species is black at both ends with a band of coppery red in the middle. The adult moth is dull yellow to orange with a robust, furry thorax and small head. Its wings have sparse black spotting and the proximal segments on its first pair of legs are bright reddish-orange. The insect can be found in many cold regions, including the Arctic. The banded Woolly Bear larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form, when it literally freezes solid. First its heart stops beating, then its gut freezes, then its blood, followed by the rest of the body. It survives being frozen by producing a cryoprotectant in its tissues. Caterpillars normally become moths within months of hatching in most temperate climates, but in the Arctic the summer period for vegetative growth and hence feeding is so short that the Woolly Bear feeds for several summers before it finally pupates. Each spring it thaws out and emerges to feed and grow and after 14 years it finally pupates. Once it emerges from its pupa as a moth it has only days to find a mate before it dies.

Notes:

Found this guy on our asphalt drive & brought him in for a photo shoot before releasing him onto my herb garden.