This woolly worm, or woolly bear was spotted in Greensboro last week. It is the caterpillar stage of what will grow into an Isabella tiger moth. First described in 1797, this creature is said to predict winter. If the brownish-red band is wide, winter will be mild.  Greensboro doesn’t have any formal woolly worm predicting; however, Banner Elk, NC is a different story. There, an annual festival is held in late October with crafts and food and races. The winning woolly worm  predicts the upcoming winter weather. This year’s winner of the race was a woolly worm from Montgomery County. He had a lot of brown, an indication that winter will be mild. 17,000 people attend the festival in Banner Elk.

If you spot one in the winter, they have a means of coating their bodies to protect themselves from the cold. Do not bother them. They know what they are doing. They actually need the cold to turn into a moth.  Today, Greensboro will hold a meeting to get ideas about how Greensboro could grow over the next 20 years. From 4-7 pm at Smith Senior Center on Fairview Street, the open meeting will be in session.* Please attend if you have ideas for our community. (Too bad the woolly worm festival idea is taken).

*more details, here.