Family: Arctiidae, Tiger Moths view all from this family
Description Wingspan 1 5/8-2" (40-50 mm). Fore wings yellow-brown with a series or row of small black dots. Hind wings slightly paler, slightly pinkish with several indistinct gray dots. Abdomen has 3 black spots above on rear edge of each segment. Caterpillar, to 2 1/8" (55 mm), is black, covered with stiff bristles, and has a broad band of red-brown bristles around the middle.
Life Cycle Caterpillar feeds on low herbaceous plants of many kinds, mostly wild; it seldom attacks crops or ornamentals.
Flight June-August in the North, February-November in the South.
Habitat Meadows, pastures, uncultivated fields, and road edges.
Range Throughout North America, except northern Canada.
Discussion Familiar since Colonial times as the "Woolly Bear," the caterpillar is often seen crossing roads and paths on warm days in late fall. According to superstition, the amount of black in the caterpillar's bristle coating forecasts the severity of the coming winter. Actually, the coloration indicates how near the caterpillar is to full growth before autumn weather stimulates it to seek a winter shelter.
