The Bears are Coming out of Hibernation!

I noticed a "fuzzy wuzzy" crawling on the gravel of my driveway the other week. That's what I called them growing up, as they seemed like the teddy bear of caterpillar family, 'cute and cuddly'.  Cute maybe, but cuddly not so much: they poop in your hand when you pick them up; they curl up and play dead and; their fuzz is rather bristly. Still, who can resist picking one up to play with and 'awe' at? I wish I had my camera with me at the time. Instead, I googled this creature to learn about it and 'why am I seeing it in my garden already?'

 It's known as the Banded Woolly Bear.  More specifically, "Pyrrharctia isabella" which includes both the caterpillars identity and the moth it will become, the Isabella Tiger Moth (yellow to orange with a robust, furry thorax and small head; wings with sparse black spotting).

 

I saw a Woolly Bear last week because it just came out of hibernation! These caterpillars are one of select creatures that can freeze over winter, and come back to life when the environment thaws. Their body temperature can go down to -8! Their bodies create some sort of anti-freeze substance to keep them alive winter long, even though their hearts literally stop. Hmmm...so they've seemed to master the chronogenic freezing mystery!

Apparently there is an old wives tale that has to do with the width of their strips to predict the severity of winter: the more black strips the more severe winter. And the position of the bands indicate which parts of winter will be the coldest: if the head is dark, the winter starts out severe and; if the tail is dark, the end will be cold. Fun to think about and to test the theory next year. However, the Woolly Bear caterpillar’s coloring is actually based on the life cycle of the creature: how long it has been feeding, and its age. The bigger it grows, the narrower the red-orange band in its middle.

Once the Banded Woolly Bear comes out from its winter thaw, you'll only see it out and about for a few days to feed & to find a mate. Don't worry they won't necessarily snack on your garden goodies. They are generalist eaters that like things like: birch, elm, maples, asters, sunflowers, grass, dandelions, and yes, garden goodies like cabbage & spinach. Then after these few days, they will spin a silk cocoon (probably on the plant/tree/bush they are feeding from), which an adult moth will emerge from in about one month. There will be 2-3 generations of these caterpillars between the spring to fall, the last generation will be the bears that hibernate over the winter.

I can't wait to see more of these cute little guys!

For those interested in an interactive learning activity with these cute creatures - I came across a site that gives directions for capturing and watching these creatures metamorphosis from caterpillar to night butterfly (moth). How cool is that! 

Visit: http://www.backyardwildlifehabitat.info/captureabear.htm