In Pennsylvania, there is the Oil City Pennsylvania Woolly Bear Jamboree, which started in 2008 to predict the winter weather. There are numerous festivals throughout the country associated with the woolly bear. If you see one of these caterpillars crawling south, they are trying to escape a cold winter. Some believe that the direction in which the caterpillar crawls determines the winter weather. The caterpillar’s brown band tends to get wider with each molt. There are other variations to the folklore stories that say the color of the stripes will determine the winter weather with dark stripes indicating a severe and cold winter.Ĭaterpillars that come from the same clutch of eggs can be very variable in color. A narrow brown band means a severe winter. If the caterpillar has a wide brown band, it is believed that the winter will be mild. Folklore states that the amount of brown and black hair on these caterpillars determines the severity of the upcoming winter. As a result, moths can be found anywhere where plants are grown. ![]() The caterpillars feed on a variety of plant species, this includes trees and herbs. Handling the caterpillars is not encouraged as people with dermatitis may experience discomfort caused by the spiny hairs. The hairs are not venomous and do not brush off, therefore they do not cause inflammation or irritation. In the light, the brown hair has a red tinge. These caterpillars have thirteen segments covered in brown hair in the mid regions and black hair on the posterior and anterior areas. The caterpillar was formally named in 1797 as the woolly bear or woolly worm. The Banded Woolly Bear (Pyrrharctia isabella) transforms into a tiger moth. They turn dark brown just before pupating, growing to 5.5 centimeters in length. There is a distinct yellow and black stripe between the first and second abdominal segments. In the fourth instar, they become green with a swollen thorax with two yellow, blue, and black eyespots. This caterpillar is brown in the first three growth stages with a white spot, known as a saddle, on the abdomen. The caterpillar eats the leaves of the host pad, resting on a silk pad attached to the leaf with the leaf edges folded over. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) is a butterfly that is one of the most familiar species you see in Pennsylvania. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Caterpillar In laboratory settings, this caterpillar has shown aggressive behavior in the fourth and fifth instars when food availability is scarce. In the fifth stage, they can grow to 4.5 centimeters in length. Their banding becomes more complex in the fifth life stage, with white spots on the prolegs and small front legs close to the head. They can grow an additional centimeter in the fourth instar. After molting they have different banding patterns with white spots on the prolegs, close to the back. They feed on the edge of leaves and can be 1.5 centimeters in length. In the third instar, the caterpillar has distinct banding with longer tentacles. At this stage they have short hairs over their bodies and the black tentacles start growing. There is a yellow triangle on their heads with two yellow bands around the triangle. The second life stage is where the caterpillar develops a white, black, and yellow pattern of bands. As they age, they develop dark stripes on their green background with small bumps that become their front tentacles. ![]() They eat the egg casing and feed on milkweed in a circular motion, leaving arc-shaped holes in the leaves. ![]() They are light green or gray-white with large black heads. In the first instar, the caterpillar emerges from the egg. They molt at the end of each life stage with each stage lasting up to five days. The caterpillars go through five life stages, known as instars. The Monarch Caterpillar (Danaus plexippus) transforms into the monarch butterfly, a milkweed butterfly that is a common sight in Pennsylvania.
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