Folklore Forecast: Pseudo-Scientific Predictions of a Big Winter

Wooly (Woolly?) Worm

The scientific name is the Arctiidae. The unscientific belief is that this fuzzy caterpillar has physical clues that forecast the upcoming severity of winter. If the Wooly worm's brown stripes are thin, a big winter is on its way! Each October, folks from North Carolina gather in Banner Elk for the Woolly Worm Festival. You'd think if you stage a festival in celebration of a particular worm, that you'd spell the name of that particular worm correctly. Ah, but who cares! They race the Wooly worms for the big 1k prize and check the brown bands of the winning Wooly worm for the winter forecast. Winning Wooly worm, say that five times fast.

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