Can this caterpillar predict the future?

Some say the woollybear is the “Punxsutawney Phil” for winter forecasting . . .

After spotting this little guy on the sidewalk this morning, it reminded me that the Woollybear Festival in Vermilion, Ohio, is coming up on October 6. Ohio’s largest one-day festival is dedicated to the fuzzy larvae of the Tiger moth, which can predict the severity of the forthcoming winter according to popular folklore.

If the black stripes on each end are longer than the middle stripe, the winter will be harsh. If the orange segment is wide, then we could see more mild weather.

I wouldn’t mind a mild winter as the appearance of this woollybear seems to suggest. But if you talk to the experts, it seems the accuracy of such predictions leave a lot to be desired.

One entomologist from the University of Massachusetts has said that the woollybear’s bristles do say something about a heavy winter or an early spring. However, he explains, “it’s telling you about the previous year.”