Wooly worms are herbivores and their diet comprises mainly of plant material. Wolly worms will mostly be seen in the fall because that’s when they go out to look for a place to hibernate. They die shortly after this but then 14 days later, the eggs hatch, giving rise to a new generation of wooly worms and the cycle continues. One month later, they turn into moths and spend the next few days breeding and laying eggs. Inside the cocoon, the woolly bears pupate and grow antennae, wings, and other adult parts. They spend a few days eating and then start building a cocoon. In the spring, the caterpillars thaw out and become active again. In the winter, they go into hibernation and their body secretes cryoprotectant, a chemical substance that acts as an anti-freezing agent, preventing their organs and tissue from damage by the cold weather. The hairs, also known as the setae, help protect them from predators. Some people even call them “hedgehog caterpillars” because of the way their spiky hair points outward when they curl up. The caterpillars go by many names, such as the “wooly worm”, “fuzzy bears”, “wooly bears” and “banded bears”. They have black edges and rusty orange color in the middle and their segmented body is covered with fuzzy-looking bristles. There are many species of wooly worms, but the most well-known is perhaps the banded wooly bears. While most people consider it a worm, it is actually a caterpillar that later hatches into a brightly colored moth with colors such as yellow, scarlet, white, orange, beige, and black. The wooly worm is the larval stage of the Isabella tiger moth, a lovely creature belonging to the Arctiidae family.
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