WOOLY BEARS WERE RIGHT THIS TIME

Last fall I posted when I found a wooly bear caterpillar in SEPTEMBER (as opposed to June the year we had an AWFUL winter).

Now that I can be pretty sure that our 'winter' is over I can probably safely say that the little guys were right about it being a nice winter.

I have for a long time paid attention to when I saw them migrating for their winter hibernation - early is bad; late is very good; August is about normal.  Naturally this has been solely my own hypothesis and totally NOT based on anyone else's ideas or logic. 

I used to make the drive to the Valley on a fairly regular basis, which is where I generally saw them, crossing the highway.  Because I think they're cute little things I avoided running over them (as opposed to salamanders, which I WILL run over every chance I get) and so watched for them. 

Then I heard that they are harbingers of the winters, and began paying attention to when I noticed them first. 

Having no idea at the time that the size of the stripes was supposed to be what I was looking at (not to mention that it would have considerably slowed down my drive time had I stopped to examine every one I saw) I just kind of unscientifically noted the general time of year I could expect to have to avoid running over them. 

Now, of course, I have researched the hteory and tend to agree with those who say the stripe is a fair indicator of the winter PAST, not the one to come.  That only makes sense to me. 

HOWEVER ... having said THAT, the fact that I saw none crossing any roads last year until September (the winter before was a terrible one and I was afraid they had all perished) together with the fact that last winter was mild (to put it mildly) encourages me to be on the lookout for them this summer, just to test my personal hypothesis. 

We shall see what we shall see I reckon.  I hope not to see THEM crossing my path until at least very late August, but if I see them any time soon, I'll start getting my wood pile ready, invest in lamp oil and candles, and stock up on other winter necessities.

Wooly Bears

These Little Guys are Supposed to be Predictors About Winter

Tradition has it that these caterpillars are indicators of the winter to come. 

This year I was beginning to worry about the little guys as I hadn't seen ANY.  I was afraid the cold flooding of the spring and summer had killed them all off.

Needless to say I was greatly relieved to find these while mowing Duke's yard at the Studio on September 8th, 2011. 

The story is that the earlier they show up, the larger they are, and the more narrow the band of brown around their middles, the harder and longer the winter will be. 

The year of the historic snowfall of winter and the historic flood of the Red River of the North the following spring, I started seeing them in June. 

Last year it was July and we had a rough winter. 

This year it's September.  These wooly bears are about average in length, not too fat, not too skinny, and their belly bands are about normal.  That they haven't shown up until September gives me hope.  According to my little friends, this year's winter won't be as bad as last year's. 

Everyone says this winter is going to be worse than last winter.

I'm hoping the Wooly Bears are right and everyone else is wrong.