During fall, the woolly worm takes center stage on predictions for what kind of winter we will have.
Woolly worms have been used since America’s early days and are a part of weather folklore. It is rumored that Native Americans showed pioneers how to read the bands to predict winter weather.
You can find woolly worms under rocks and inside of hollow logs.
By examining their bands of color you can predict what kind of winter weather you will see. The smaller that the brownish-red bands are the harsher winter will be. The black stripes indicate snowy and cold weather while the brownish-red bands indicate periods of milder weather.
A black band followed by a wide brownish red band and another black band indicates that winter will start off cold but will be mostly mild before ending cold.
Woolly worms are actually the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth. They are also known as Woolly Bears or Fuzzy Bears.
But what about the forecasting accuracy of woolly worms? Over the last 30 years, 85% of the time they have been either all or mostly right.
Ohio’s Woolly Worm Festival is held each year in the resort town of Vermilion. It is the state's largest one day festival and was celebrated this year on September 20.
Kenutcky's Woolly Worm Festival is held on the third weekend in October in
Beattyville, Ky. It is located two and a half hours from Cincinnati to the southeast of Lexington.
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