Banded Whoolybear

Banded Whoolybears are the caterpillars of the Isabella Tiger Moth, Phrrharctia isabella. During our recent strolls,  Erika and I are seeing a multitude of these caterpillars. They are common across most of North America. The caterpillars brood three times during the summer and then overwinter. The caterpillar becomes a moth in the next spring. Caterpillars eat a wide variety of plants. I am not sure what the drops of liquid are on this caterpillar. The morning had been foggy, so perhaps this caterpillar picked up some moisture during its travels. Folk wisdom suggests that you can predict the severity of winter by the width of these caterpillars black bands. These correlations are without scientific basis. In fact, the orange band lengthens as the caterpillar ages. Wetter weather lengthens the black bands. Bugguide.net concludes, "So while not a reliable measure, it makes some sense that onset of an early and thus longer winter will force younger and less red caterpillars into hibernation.”