That
large, furry, orange and black thing you see crossing the road is a
Woolly Bear caterpillar. They race about at a speedy pace of 4 feet
per minute (that's .05 mph) in search of a cozy place to spend the winter.
Legend says that the width of the bands foretells the severity of winter,
but it is actually due to many factors including age. Older caterpillars
have wider orange bands. The caterpillars feed on grasses. They are
safe to pick up and will curl up into a ball when you touch them. In
the spring they will turn into the Isabella Tiger Moth, a rather plain
yellow-brown moth.
That
large, furry, orange and black thing you see crossing the road is a
Woolly Bear caterpillar. They race about at a speedy pace of 4 feet
per minute (that's .05 mph) in search of a cozy place to spend the winter.
Legend says that the width of the bands foretells the severity of winter,
but it is actually due to many factors including age. Older caterpillars
have wider orange bands. The caterpillars feed on grasses. They are
safe to pick up and will curl up into a ball when you touch them. In
the spring they will turn into the Isabella Tiger Moth, a rather plain
yellow-brown moth.