Caterpillar orange stripe says a lot about upcoming winter
Video Journalist
Friday, October 26, 2018, 3:30 PM - We use a groundhog to predict spring's arrival, so why not use a caterpillar's stripe to predict the harshness of winter?
Meet the wooly bear caterpillar.
You can recognize these furry little creatures by their black and orange bands and, according to folklore, the length of those bands may give us clues about the upcoming winter.
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"It was thought that if it was a really long band of orange, that means it's going to be a short and mild winter. If it's a narrow band, that means it's going to be severe and cold," Andalynne Tofflemore, a naturalist at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory says.
There is actual scientific evidence on why the wooly bear's bands differ, but it's not to help us gauge snowfall levels.
Tofflemore says the length of the bands provide a more accurate assessment of how the previous spring and summer fared.
"Generally, with most caterpillars, the longer and bigger they are by the fall means they had really good diet, they had really good access to food, which would probably mean it was a really good summer ... so they just got to be big and strong."
The next time you see one of these guys, let their bands remind you of the glorious days of summer and know that winter is going to happen how it will, regardless.
