Wooly caterpillars and winter predictions?

I remember seeing something on the internet a while ago about examining the colors of the Wooly Caterpillars here in the Northwest and being able to predict how harsh the coming winter will be.

Anyone else heard that?

Anyway, was out elk hunting a couple of weeks ago and came across a caterpillar and took a photo. From what I can find, more black than orange means a harsher winter. More orange than black means a milder winter.

This little guy was pretty much even, so I guess a "normal" winter...

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I used to have faith in the wooly bears....

Then, after walking around a bit, I realized they can't even tell if a car is coming, much less winter.

Maybe it is going to snow inside my barn this year, it is loaded with those fuzzy little buggers.

BB

The first wooly worm I saw this fall was completely black...no red at all. The old wives tale was that that meant it was going to be an exceptionally bad winter. Saw two more yesterday and they were more normal looking, meaning a normal winter. I'm going to go with the best two out of three.

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Originally Posted by Slugster

The first wooly worm I saw this fall was completely black...no red at all. The old wives tale was that that meant it was going to be an exceptionally bad winter. Saw two more yesterday and they were more normal looking, meaning a normal winter. I'm going to go with the best two out of three.

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That was what I was told as a young lad. The more black the worse the Winter. This year I have seen black ones, but also seen the mixed ones...

Only the Lord knows what we're gonna get...
;)

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

I used to have faith in the wooly bears....

Then, after walking around a bit, I realized they can't even tell if a car is coming, much less winter.

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Got a laugh out of me

My father in law used to predict the winters by the how high the yellow jackets built their nests in the trees. I never saw much to make me believe the yellow jackets knew any better than I did what the winter was going to be like. I've come to the belief that nothing, man or beast can predict the weather with certainty other than when the weatherman says it will be windy. They never get that wrong.

Heard that old wives tail all my life don't think it would be discribed as an accurate prediction just life the chubby groundhog seeing it's shadow in February . Btw the wooly's I've been seeing this fall are black as coal still hoping for a mild winter

The all black caterpillars are a different species. They are from the Isabella moth IIRC.

I predict in the northern states we will see snow, wind and cooler temperatures.

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Originally Posted by shdwlkr

I predict in the northern states we will see snow, wind and cooler temperatures.

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lol I'd lay money on that prediction.

When people start skinning them for a coat then you can worry .

Our weatherman has a PHD from some fancy university and calls himself a Meteorologist ...
The Wooly Worms do just as good a job at predicting the weather as he does .
It's all a crap shoot .

We had a weatherman , years ago , that looked at all the maps and predictions from the Metorological studies,,,then he would go out the back door with an umbrella and a pair sunglasses in his pocket ...if he opened the umbrella it was raining... if the umbrella stayed shut it wasn't...if he put on sun glasses the sun was bright... I loved that guy !

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Originally Posted by gwpercle

weatherman , years ago , that looked at all the maps and predictions from the Metorological studies,,,then he would go out the back door with an umbrella and a pair sunglasses in his pocket ...if he opened the umbrella it was raining... if the umbrella stayed shut it wasn't...if he put on sun glasses the sun was bright... I loved that guy !

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Here, we use the Texas A & M 'Aggie' weather station.
It's basically a rock suspended on a string.

If you go out and see that the rock is wet--- it's raining.
If the rock is swinging back & forth--- the wind is blowing.
If the rock is white---- it's snowing.
If the rock is gone--- you're in a tornado.

The colors are suppose to predict the winter. All 0)Black means a long bad winter. The brown means a mild winter. Black brown black means winters starts bad, mild hrough the middle then turns bad again before spring. Brown, black means mild, bad,,mild.

I do not go by the wooly. I seen too many different color pattern on them. My grand farther had use to say what the weather will be for the year then I got it out of him how he is able to say .He said the 6 days before Christmas and the 6 days after Christmas will tell you the weather is for each month that each day is the month and then you write down what that day is going on and then you will have about 80% of what the weather will be I found out .

We have them all over our yard but they have been wrong too many times. I am expecting a hard winter all over the Northern Hemisphere this and the next two winters but not the mini-ice age some real climate scientists predict (not the ones getting gov't grants to predict warming). I even picked up a new set of cross country skis betting on the upcoming hard winter.
In my neighborhood, everything has been three weeks early including leaf drop, first killing frosts, apple ripening, and more. Our local bucks are going into rut right on time, however, and our northern ducks haven't migrated in yet but if the widgeons show up next week that would be two weeks early for this flyway.

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

I used to have faith in the wooly bears....

Then, after walking around a bit, I realized they can't even tell if a car is coming, much less winter.

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Ha ha ha. LOL. Good one.

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Originally Posted by shdwlkr

I predict in the northern states we will see snow, wind and cooler temperatures.

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Hahahaha! You got a side job as a weatherman/meteorologist?
;)


Very Funny!
:drinks:

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Originally Posted by Winger Ed.

Here, we use the Texas A & M 'Aggie' weather station.
It's basically a rock suspended on a string.

If you go out and see that the rock is wet--- it's raining.
If the rock is swinging back & forth--- the wind is blowing.
If the rock is white---- it's snowing.
If the rock is gone--- you're in a tornado.

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We have always called that a "Weather Rock".. Works right fine for those who do not need to plan for the future & prefer to just deal with whatever comes in...

Those who need a bit more specificity & longer term outlook are just screwed.
;)

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Originally Posted by trapper9260

I do not go by the wooly. I seen too many different color pattern on them. My grand farther had use to say what the weather will be for the year then I got it out of him how he is able to say .He said the 6 days before Christmas and the 6 days after Christmas will tell you the weather is for each month that each day is the month and then you write down what that day is going on and then you will have about 80% of what the weather will be I found out .

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Interesting... Somewhere along those lines, many years ago as a ld, I heard something about the same from on old timer.

I think I will try to record those 12-13 days this year & see how well it works for the future .

Thanks for the reminder & mention.
:)

:drinks: