[PHOTO CREDIT: BRENDA DEROCHE – CWF PHOTO CONTEST]
They are called wooly bear caterpillars and this fall my family and I are seeing a lot of them – mostly on driveways and roads.
They are the larval stage of the Isabella moth and feed mainly on low-growing wild herbaceous plants.
It’s been said that the colour of wooly bears can predict winter – if there is a lot of black on them that means the winter is going to be a rough one!
However, I’m not sure how true this is. These caterpillars shed their skin (molt) several times and each molt results in a change in colour; also younger caterpillars tend to have more brown on them than older caterpillars!
Terri-Lee Reid
Terri-Lee Reid is a Freshwater Conservation Researcher at the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF). She leads initiatives in researching, designing and delivering freshwater programs and advocating CWF’s freshwater positions to government, the public and other stakeholders.
