LEWISBURG — Two days before making a grand appearance at Saturday’s all-day Woolly Worm Festival in Hufnagle Park, one of the stars of the event, a five-foot, six-inch tall woolly bear caterpillar, took a casual stroll down Market Street, garnering stares and glares from children and adults alike.
“I can be a little frightening looking, I may look mean, but I’m really family friendly. I’m misunderstood,” said the worm with a shrug after a group of children crowded around her, mistakenly thinking she was a spider.
“I’m a worm. I’m a proud woolly worm, and I come out about this time every October to help people predict what the weather will be like this winter,” she said.
The worm said she harbored no ill feelings toward Punxsutawney Phil, a rival weather prognosticator.
“I do sometimes feel upstaged by Phil. He has his fans, I have mine. I’ve been around a lot longer, though.”
Using woolly worms (Pyrrharctia Isabella) to predict winter weather is American folklore that traces its history to when Native Americans supposedly taught the technique to pioneers.
The woolly bear caterpillar has 13 brown and black segments, which, some say, correspond to the 13 weeks of winter. It is said that the lighter brown a segment is, the milder that week of winter will be, and the darker black a segment is, the colder and snowier the corresponding week will be.
“Last year, I was more brown than black,” the worm said. “That meant a mild winter with some snow. We were pretty accurate.”
“My name,” the worm said, “is the common name for the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth.” They also are called woolly bears.
“After the festival, when it gets cold, I’ll hibernate for the winter, and then turn into a moth and fly away. But I’m harmless,” she said. “I only like to eat grass, weeds ... and ice cream.”
The worm said she was looking forward to meeting some of her brothers and sisters on Saturday, when area residents bring their woolly worms to the festival. “We all get to race,” she said, “and play with children. It’s always a most enjoyable time for all. I hope you’ll come see me this weekend and say hello.”
The 13th annual festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the park.
The worm’s secret identity is Kim Ritter, of Lewisburg.
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Matthew Harris/The Daily Item
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