September 18th, 2010 | By Dave | Published in Invertebrates, Moths
It’s that time of year again. A sure sign of fall is the appearance of woolly bear caterpillars. I was taking a walk around the Courtenay Airpark Lagoon and came across a Yellow Bear crossing the path. The Yellow Bear is the caterpillar of the Virginian Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica). It’ll spend the winter sheltered [...]
October 21st, 2009 | By Dave | Published in Environmental Issues, Invertebrates, Moths, Natural History
Is it going to be a mild winter this year in British Columbia? You be the judge. According to some, if the orange band in the middle of a banded woolly bear (Pyrrharctia isabella) is wider than the black bands on the ends of the caterpillar it will be a mild winter. The opposite is [...]
October 3rd, 2009 | By Dave | Published in Caterpillars, Invertebrates, Moths
It’s the time of year when things are on the move and if you’re looking at the ground or the sky you’re sure to see something interesting. Some types of caterpillars in the tiger moth family (Arctiidae) like the woolly bears and yellow bears are active in the fall as they move from food plants [...]
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