Woolley Bears on the March

On my way to feed the chickens this morning, I met two Woolley Bears coming across the threshold to the kitchen garden. They are undoubtedly on their way to the convention. Seven or eight of their compatriots have already found their way in among the mint and thyme and (mostly) dandelions and seem to be convening like anything.

I’m glad they are hanging out at our place. I see far too many of them out on the road, crossing from one side to the other and, all too often, squashed flat before they make it. This is the time of year for them. I took a look at Wikipedia and found that they are the larval form of Pyrrharctia isabella and emerge from their eggs in fall in this familiar caterpillar form. They are found in many cold regions, including the Arctic, and overwinter by literally freezing solid. In the spring they thaw out and in order to pupate. Once they emerge as moths, they have only days to find their mates.

Pyrrarctia isabella

In most temperate climates (like ours), caterpillars become moths within months of hatching, but in the Arctic the summer period for vegetative growth – and hence feeding – is so short that the Woolly Bear must feed for several summers, freezing again each winter before finally pupating. Some are known to live through as many as 14 winters.

According to folklore, the relative amounts of brown (which looks orange to me) and black on a Woolley Bear is a predictor of the severity of the coming winter. Presumably, if a Woolly Bear caterpillar’s brown stripe is thick, the winter weather will be mild and if the brown stripe is narrow, the winter will be severe.  Says Wikipedia: In reality, hatchlings from the same clutch of eggs can display considerable variation in their color distribution, and the brown band tends to grow with age; if there is any truth to the tale, it is highly speculative.

Another bit of folklore claims that the name of the Washington town Sedro-Woolley derives partly from the abundance of Woolley Bears in the area when it was founded. In reality, though, the Woolley part of Sedro-Woolley was named for railroad developer and mill owner Phillip A. Woolley who moved his family to the town of Sedro from Illinois in 1899. Makes more sense, but I did like thinking that a town was named in honor of those furry little creatures convening in our kitchen garden!