Wooly Bear

Wooly Bear

November, 2009 Featured by Southern-Style: A Downhome Perspective Group here:

October, 2009 Featured by ImageWriting (2/24) Group here:
Thank you so much!

Growing up my Grandmother King made certain that I was wise in the ways of many things, including predicting the harshness of the winter the way my ancestors had done it; based on the color of the “Wooly Bears” coat.

First, you had to be lucky enough to find one so imagine how excited I was when while on our recent trip I found this beautiful fellow laying just off our hiking path.
The only problem was that I had never seen a “white/yellowish and black” wooly bear before and did not remember my grandmother allowing for this color variation in her winter weather forecast which typically was to be applied as follows:

- The longer the black bands, the longer, colder, snowier and more severe the winter will be.
- The position of the bands indicates which parts of winter will be the coldest.
- If the head is dark, the winter starts out severe
- If the tail is dark, the end will be cold

Okay, I had to call my dad for clarification of the above details, but I was 9 when I got my last Wooly Bear instructions so sue me.

Musing maybe only “northern” Wooly Bears need be dark red and black due to the extreme nature of the winters in Michigan I considered that the winters in Arkansas or Mississippi were just outside her area of expertise so I did a Google looking for white Wooly Bears.

According to my Google, what I have here may only be fondly and forever known to me as a “Wooly Bear”, while more specific to its bug-hood it is as I can judge an American Dagger Moth Caterpillar here:

So maybe I can’t predict the harshness of the winter now or ever, but I would bet based on how busy this guy seemed that as my grandmother used to also say, “Whatever the weather, we’re going to have weather, weather or not!”

Let THAT be a lesson to you! ;o)

Image taken September 26, 2009 Mt. View, Arkansas
AS IS using a KODAK EasyShare ZD710 camera

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