What's your wooly caterpillar forecast?

[ChooksChick]

I've always heard this one, and while I'm not sure how to read them, I would love to know what parts of the country are seeing different things. I know last year ours has 3 bands of red, and I'm not sure whether they were wide or narrow, since I have no basis for comparison.

 

[eenie114]

The way it works is you look at a wooly bear, and see how big the stripe is. A narrow band predicts a harsh winter, while a wider band predicts a mild one.

Mine are playing mind games with me.

I found one with no stripe at all, and one that was all orange/brown!

 

[StupidBird]

and what dire thing does it mean when you can't find any wooly caterpillars at all??? Every year we see at least a few, this year, nothing.

 

[stoopid]

I haven't seen any, either.

 

[secuono]

All the ones hear are solid black, I haven't seen any w/orange or red in them since spring.

 

[StupidBird]

We're DOOMED! Better all run over to Self S. and figure out how to survive the winterpocalypse!

 

[BarefootMom]

Missouri is doomed this winter

I see them everywhere VERRY WOOLY and SOLID BLACK maybe a bit of brown.

Also the persimmons have 2 SPOONS in them.

and we had a TON of FOG in August.

and the squirrels were busy gathering their nuts in EARLY OCTOBER

and the rabbits have an extra coat already.

I am stocking up.

 

[eenie114]

Quote:
I noticed the squirrels, too.

Got me worried. But I'm sure glad I'm not in the northeast!

 

[Lothiriel]

Wooly bears confuse me.

I have heard both ways: more brown than black, harsh winter; more black than brown, harsh winter. So, I have seen regular wooly bears, brown wooly bears, black wooly bears, wooly bears with the minimum of black on the ends, and wooly bears with the minimum of brown in the middle. I guess our forecast is mixed?

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Quote:
We had a ton of fog, TON of squirrels, I havent seen any wooly caterpillers or permissons.