Found a woolly bear?
Thirteen BandsWhat its stripes really say - about the caterpillar, not the winter
Tap each of its 13 segments to paint the bands you saw. The page counts them, checks for look-alikes and tells you whether to leave it, move it or check what it is - for free.
1 Paint the bands free
Tap a segment to change it: black, rust, pale or other, not seen. Head on the left.
2 What else you noticed free
3 The band facts free
Four explanations, and how well each fits
4 Ask for a reading
One run restates what you saw, explains each of the four explanations against your own entry, says what would tell them apart and what to do. The page's call and fits stay as they are.
The reading - none yet
-What you saw
Four explanations
What it adds up to
What to do
The page's check
5 Saved sightings
How the page decides
The call, first match wins: check what it is first when there is any look-alike sign - a colour other than black and rust, tufts or soft fur-like hair, a pale segment, or a length over 7 cm; move it a little when the place you typed is somewhere it could be stepped on, driven over or trapped (a path, road, step, porch, patio, doorway, indoors and similar); otherwise leave it be.
The fits are fixed rules too. With a look-alike sign, a different caterpillar is the strong fit. With the classic pattern - black at both ends and one rust block in the middle - age is the strong fit and feeding time a partial one. Anything else leaves age, feeding time and a different caterpillar as partial fits. The winter folklore is always a weak fit: the rust part widens as a caterpillar grows, so one caterpillar's bands change while the weather ahead does not.
Stay safe: woolly bear bristles do not sting but can irritate skin, and some look-alike fuzzy caterpillars sting badly. Use a leaf, a card or gloves, wash your hands after, and get medical advice if a rash, swelling or strong pain follows a touch. When you ask a nature group about a photo, leave out your address. This is a curiosity guide, not professional advice.