Wooly Worms
We called them Wooly Worms when we were kids. I’ve seen many Wooly Bear Caterpillars in the woods this Fall. Strange to see ‘bugs fresh’ this time of year, as it seems they should be active in Spring, rather than just before it gets cold.
Folklore / mythology states the the size of the Wooly Bears stripes are predictors of the coming winter.
This has been scientifically disproven.
Some interesting facts about the Wooly Bear:
- are the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella).
- they hibernate over the winter, they are protected from freezing by an alcohol based ‘antifreeze’ (cryoprotectant) they produce and secrete into their body. They pupate and become moths the following Spring.
- when Wooly Bears are infected by an intestinal parasite, they consume the Senecio plant, which contains alkaloids that kills the parasitic fly eggs.
Watch out for the Wooly Worms this Fall!
Cell Towers and Cell Cameras
Irondequoit NY - November 2009 ©
Cell Phone Tower photographed with a Cell Phone Camera..
© G. Elyjiw
Cell Phone Tower Photograph on Cell Phone Camera Viewfinder
Broken Glass at the Glass Museum
Corning Museum of Glass - October 2009 ©
Fall Milkweed @ ‘The Meadow’
Brighton, NY – November 2009 ©
Three Exits
Ithaca, NY - October 2009 ©