Here’s What This Cute Little Woolly Worm Says About Kentucky’s Winter #YIKES
Have you heard that woolly worms are a winter weather predictor? We recently spotted the most active woolly worm ever and he told us a lot about Kentucky winter 2022-23.
WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THE WOOLLY WORM?
Growing up I remember my momma used to tell me that woolly worms could tell us how harsh winter was going to be. My brother and I loved going outside when the weather would get cooler and hunting for woolly worms. We would collect them and see what we thought winter was going to be like.
Here's what almanac.com says about the fuzzy character;
First of all, the “woolly worm” is not a worm at all! It’s a caterpillar; specifically, the larva of the Isabella tiger moth(Pyrrharctia isabella). Nonetheless, the name “worm” has stuck, at least in some parts of the United States. In others, such as New England and the Midwest, people tend to call them “woolly bears.” (Worm or not, at least we can all agree that they’re not bears!)
MAKING A WOOLLY WORM DISCOVERY OF OUR OWN
Last week the kids and I were visiting Reid's Orchard. Charlotte and I were playing in the Corn Crib and she got super excited because she found a woolly worm. I went over to check it out and what I saw made me shiver LOL.
If you have never heard how to predict here you go;
Woolly bear caterpillars—also called woolly worms—have a reputation for being able to forecast the coming winter weather. If their rusty band is wide, then it will be a mild winter. The more black there is, the more severe the winter.
The woolly worm has 13 segments on its body for the 13 weeks of winter. Some woollies are brown and others are blacker.
THERE'S EVEN A WOOLLY WORM FESTIVAL
The festival is held in Banner Elk, North Carolina at Sugar Mountain. It usually takes place the third week of October.
The biggest event of the festival is the woolly worm races. You can buy a woolly worm and race them and your worm doesn't have to have any racing experience.
Not exactly sure if the black woolly we found will have any predictions on Kentucky winter weather but we love the folklore and the mystery behind it all. It also makes for fun memories with the kiddos.