As my loyal readers know, when I was a kid I used to collect up coffee cans of caterpillars, it was a big deal in those long ago days, and all of the neighborhood kids, OK not the more squeamish ones, participated. Alas the poor caterpillars were then dumped out in heaps, by parents, who often gave us a quarter if the can was full or nearly full.. But those were the common black and bluish type type, not the weather predicting Wooly Bears who were the first harbingers of fall and the coming winter.
Wooly Bears got alot of respect, they were carefully handled and their wise counsel on the coming winter weather was often sought and followed. pantrys were stocked using the number of blacken segments of it 13 {usually} segments as a guide. When you see an all black wooly bear, be sure to look closely, as it may not be a wooly bear at all, or it may have vaguely orangeish or brownish hair on the central segments. Scientific types will tell you that there are no true all black Wooly Bears. One thing they will agree with is that when feeling threatened only Wooly bear will curl into a ball, also that unless someone is allergic to them, a rarity, that despite their fierce appearance they are harmless.
Earlier this fall I spotted several with a very wide band of orange segments, but the other day when I was washing windows, I spotted a couple that had a very narrow band of orange.. Now I cannot explain this. Just in case i bought a few extra cans of beans.
