Can This Caterpillar Tell What Our New York Winter Will Be Like?

For years, I have been hearing people talk about the phenomenon that is the woolly caterpillar and how it can predict what type of winter weather we will have in New York State. Then it seems this week that Mother Nature has thrown me a curve ball, a white caterpillar with little black spikes.

I instantly think that we are going to have a tremendous amount of record-breaking snowfall, and maybe even blizzards (the spikes). I did my best to calm down and remember that it is only an "Old Wives Tale" and that there isn't too much merit behind the whole thing. What did I do after that? Possibly the worst thing.

I went to the internet to search, heading down a bad winter weather prediction potential. Here is what this white caterpillar represents and I need to slow my roll and switch immediately to decaf.

Does the white caterpillar also predict the upcoming Winter weather forecast?

bhunter/canva

What is this caterpillar called? It is a Dagger moth caterpillars, not to be confused with the white hickory tussock moth caterpillar. Their scientific name? Acronicta Americana.

Are these the caterpillars that are the ones used to predict winter weather? No, all of my research and no information about how this relates to the weather. Keep reading for the info that will predict the upcoming winter weather, as that is the caterpillar below.

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What does the woolly caterpillar have to say about Winter weather for 2023?

Naturalist

After much research apparently, the only caterpillar that can assist in weather predictions is the woolly bear, not the one I found on my porch.

According to the Farmers Almanac, a big band of orange with little black on the tips of the woolly bear means that winter will be a mild one. A little bit of orange and lots of black? That means the winter is going to be pretty harsh. Do you believe in weather by caterpillar? Weigh in on the conversation.

20 Way To Tell If This Winter Will Be a Harsh One

In the days before modern weather forecasting, people used any possible bit of information to get a glimpse into the future. Old tales and folklore get handed down for generations as people do whatever they can to survive another winter.

In the 70s meteorologist Dick Goddard put together a list of common weather folklore for Farmers’ Almanac that some say can predict what nature has in store for the darkest months of the year.

So, take note, do you see any of these signs that winter has it out for us?