What's your wooly caterpillar forecast?

[speckledhen]

Wooly bears aside, I am wondering about this winter in the N. Ga. mtns. It was harsh last year, more snow than I've ever seen since moving here over 9 years ago. More snow in inches per event, more events of snow. We've lived in much more snow, having lived in Ohio, Utah and Colorado with the Air Force, but golly, I prefer western snows to the wet eastern snows any day. I have a feeling it will be a colder than normal winter here; precipitation, I'm not sure about. Hopefully, not so much?

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
Speckly, I'm seeing folks in your area talking about the persimmons forecasting a similar winter. Get you woodpile stocked and runs covered with plastic. We go around town and take all the bagged leaves for wind barriers and with every snow, dump a bag on top so they can walk around on it and scratch for goodies. This also makes for a significantly better Spring run because the layers of leaves and poo break down nicely instead of it being a thawed, frozen poop soggy bog.

I'm getting well prepared here. Don't want to have to struggle to keep up like last winter. I'll have it all ready if I just get another 30 or so bags of leaves...and after this cold snap, I should be able to do that Saturday when it's 60 out and everyone rakes what dropped off the trees yesterday.

Is there a legend for predictions based on tree colors? Gotta find that superstition...

 

[Jackie B.]

Yeah with the size and quantities fo the acorns around my neck of the woods, I wonder if it's just going to be cold and dry or really wet again.

 

[imachickenprincess]

I didn't know you could do that! that is super cool! I will have to try this!

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Speckly, I'm seeing folks in your area talking about the persimmons forecasting a similar winter. Get you woodpile stocked and runs covered with plastic. We go around town and take all the bagged leaves for wind barriers and with every snow, dump a bag on top so they can walk around on it and scratch for goodies. This also makes for a significantly better Spring run because the layers of leaves and poo break down nicely instead of it being a thawed, frozen poop soggy bog.

I'm getting well prepared here. Don't want to have to struggle to keep up like last winter. I'll have it all ready if I just get another 30 or so bags of leaves...and after this cold snap, I should be able to do that Saturday when it's 60 out and everyone rakes what dropped off the trees yesterday.

Is there a legend for predictions based on tree colors? Gotta find that superstition...

Thanks for the forecast! We have plenty of our own leaves, living in oak woods here on the mtn so no problem with getting enough leaves for the pens.

 

[lovin my birds]

Lol! I love this thread. Yes I do watch the woolly bears and see what colors they are. Yes I know it has nothing to do with the weather but its something fun to do.

I also watch all the other animals. How fast the squirrels are collecting nuts and how many. How think my dogs fur grows in. So far about the same as last year. So maybe we will have about the same winter this year. I believe that the animals know, after all they are all wild at heart and in the wild they would have to know what to do(grow a really thick coat or a thinner coat) I am ready for snow though. I know Im weird!

 

[Sonic Pug]

Will someone post a pic of a wooly caterpillar?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Similar to the one I saw this year.

 

[Stacykins]

At least woolly bears, despite being 'furry' don't have urticating hairs. If you don't know the species of a furry looking caterpillar, don't touch! I learned the hard way with the caterpillar of the Io moth (identified afterwards). As soon as I touched it, it felt like instant acting poison ivy, painful and itchy with redness and swelling.

 

[Sonic Pug]

Thanks for the pic. May be a different species but we have some that look like that here in California only they are all black. I've never seen one with stripes here ever.