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 to a suitable place to spend the winter. This little fellow was heading for a large pile of black cottonwood leaves down at the Courtenay Airpark. Good night – we’ll see you in the spring!
For more information and additional photographs, read Jocie’s article about woolly bears posted on the Comox Valley Naturalists Society website.
I am very curious about this little fellow. My children and I just came across a few of them scurrying across the lawn in our back yard in Kamloops BC. Its in the interior and no map I can find puts them this far north. They make a beautiful moth and I would like to encourage them to winter here in my yard if I can. Is there anything I can do to make it more inviting for them?
Ideally you’ll have both a food source for the larvae and a place for the caterpillars to overwinter as a pupa – leaving some leaves on the ground in the yard at the base of your trees would be a good idea because they could shelter under them. If you’ve got some wood, piling a few pieces of firewood might create a good place for them to overwinter.