RHH's photos with the keyword: pyrrharctia

The Woolly Bear Caterpillar is the larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth, Pyrrharctia isabella. I learned a lot about it when I looked it up on line. It emerges in the fall and freezes solid over the winter, unthawing in the spring and turning into a pupa. There is no evidence that its bands predict the harshness of the winter ahead, and its hairs are not poisonous, as many believe, though they can cause some skin irritation. This one was photographed at Slide Mountain in Whatcom County.