Appalachian History

You could have checked to see if the bees had been flying low, observed the size of the acorns on the trees, or paid close attention to how foggy recent mornings had been in order to gauge what kind of a winter it'll be.

Easiest of all, you could have gotten yourself over to Banner Elk, NC last weekend to the 30th Woolly Worm Festival, where more than 1,400 of the little critters competed for the honor of proclaiming the official winter weather forecast. The worm that most quickly reaches the top of a three-foot piece of string gains fame and glory, makes his mark in local weather history, and wins prize money.

According to this year's winner, "Armstrong," the first four weeks of this winter will be cold and snowy. The 5th and 6th weeks will be cold, while weeks 7 and 8 will be cold with light snow. Armstrong says to expect a mild spell during weeks 10 and 11 with a cold an snowy close to the winter in weeks 12 and 13.

Mountain folk use the brown and black stripes on the woolly worm to predict winter's path. Tradition says that the black stripes predict cold and snowy weather, while brown stripes point toward milder conditions. Furthermore, the narrower the band, the harsher the winter. Woolly worms have 13 different bands of color, each representing the 13 weeks of winter from December through March.

The woolly worm is known in the scientific world as Isia Isabella. Other common names for this caterpillar are woolly bears, black-ended bears and banded woolly bears (the name approved by the Entomological Society of America). After hunkering down in a tight ball for the winter, the Isia Isabella will emerge next year as a tiger moth.

The woolly worm’s genus---Pyrrhactia---includes many different species. Some are solid black without any bands, and others have bands of varying sizes. Woolly worms go through six larval stages before entering their pupal or winter cocoon stage. In other words, the caterpillar molts six times and the color and size of its bands may change from molt to molt. Scientists say variations in their bands are linked to differences in species and larval stage, not the weather. But you can still root for your favorites at Banner Elk every fall, regardless!

Sources: www.woollyworm.com/node/7
www.mountaintimes.com/mtweekly/2004/1014/isia.php3
www.wtov9.com/weather/9535109/detail.html


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Posted by Dave Tabler at 8:30 AM |    
Labels: appalachia, appalachia history, appalachian culture, appalachian mountains history, Banner Elk NC, weather prediction, woolly worms