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Isabella Tiger Moth - Pyrrharctia isabella Total length: ~25 mm. Pale orange forewings marked by faint brown lines and spots. Abdomen is mostly orange with a row of black, dorsal spots.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Attracted to a 365 nm light in a semi-rural area<br /> <br /> 2020(62)<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/96165/isabella_tiger_moth_-_pyrrharctia_isabella.html" title="Isabella Tiger Moth - Pyrrharctia isabella"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/96165_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=wSPfkGjMN3OHMelQAKIK8COgXsE%3D" width="200" height="146" alt="Isabella Tiger Moth - Pyrrharctia isabella Total length: ~25 mm. Pale orange forewings marked by faint brown lines and spots. Abdomen is mostly orange with a row of black, dorsal spots.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Attracted to a 365 nm light in a semi-rural area<br /> <br /> 2020(62)<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/96164/isabella_tiger_moth_-_pyrrharctia_isabella.html<br /> Banded woolly bear,Geotagged,Pyrrharctia isabella,Spring,United States,moth" /></a></figure><br /> Banded woolly bear,Geotagged,Pyrrharctia,Pyrrharctia isabella,Spring,United States,moth Click/tap to enlarge

Isabella Tiger Moth - Pyrrharctia isabella

Total length: ~25 mm. Pale orange forewings marked by faint brown lines and spots. Abdomen is mostly orange with a row of black, dorsal spots.

Habitat: Attracted to a 365 nm light in a semi-rural area

2020(62)

Isabella Tiger Moth - Pyrrharctia isabella Total length: ~25 mm. Pale orange forewings marked by faint brown lines and spots. Abdomen is mostly orange with a row of black, dorsal spots.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Attracted to a 365 nm light in a semi-rural area<br /> <br /> 2020(62)<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/96164/isabella_tiger_moth_-_pyrrharctia_isabella.html<br /> Banded woolly bear,Geotagged,Pyrrharctia isabella,Spring,United States,moth

    comments (6)

  1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
    Ferdy Christant
    Lion
    View Lion class
    INSANE life cycle:

    "In most temperate climates, caterpillars become moths within months of hatching, but in the Arctic the summer period for vegetative growth - and hence feeding - is so short that the Woolly Bear must feed for several summers, freezing again each winter before finally pupating. Some are known to live through as many as 14 winters."     Posted 5 years ago
    1. View Christine Young's profile
      Christine Young
      Lion
      View Lion class
      Whoa, that is wild! Posted 5 years ago
      1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
        Ferdy Christant
        Lion
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        I wonder if this is the same moth as discussed in the Planet series. There I first heard of this behavior. It's truly bizarre, unable to complete their life cycle, they just pause it for a year and proceed the next, and so on. Posted 5 years ago
        1. View Christine Young's profile
          Christine Young
          Lion
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          I feel like I should know more about these because they are soooo common here. But, I do not. I get hung up on people's obsession that woolly bears predict the weather...like groundhogs **MASSIVE eye roll**

          See info here:
          Banded Woolly Bear Fuzzy, reddish brown caterpillar with a black anterior end. Usually, they have black posterior and anterior bands, but the colors change as they molt to successive instars, and they become more reddish brown with age. The woolly bear's setae are not urticating, so they do not usually cause irritation or injury from being handled. However, their setae may cause dermatitis in some susceptible people. <br /> <br /> According to folklore, the length, thickness, and color of a woolly bear's color bands can be used to forecast how severe the winter weather will be. This myth dates back to colonial American folklore and is still widely believed today. However, the truth is that these caterpillars can't predict the weather. In reality, a woolly bear's coloring is based on how long the caterpillar has been feeding and its age. The width of the banding is simply an indicator of that current season's growth. Woolly bears molt six times before pupating, and with each successive molt, their colors change, becoming less black and more reddish brown - this is completely independent of the weather. The last point to address in debunking this myth is the reason for the woolly bear's "coat". The thickness of its setae has nothing to do with predicting severe weather. Rather, their setae helps them to freeze more controllably, and once the caterpillars begin hibernation, their bodies create a kind of natural antifreeze called glycerol. This ability to freeze gradually helps protect them during the cold winter months. So, it would seem that woolly bears have unwittingly gained status as being weather forecasting prophets and there is no scientific evidence to prove that they are actual prognosticators of winter weather. Banded Woolly Bear,Banded woolly bear,Fall,Geotagged,Pyrrharctia isabella,United States,caterpillar,moth week 2018,woolly bear

           Posted 5 years ago
          1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
            Ferdy Christant
            Lion
            View Lion class
            Found it! Defies belief:

             Posted 5 years ago, modified 5 years ago
            1. View Christine Young's profile
              Christine Young
              Lion
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              Incredible! That's so cool. And, a great video - it was so neat to see the freezing and melting of the caterpillar. Posted 5 years ago

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The Banded woolly bear

The moth "Pyrrharctia isabella" is known by different common names during its two main life stages. The adult is the Isabella Tiger Moth and the larva is called the Banded Woolly Bear. The larvae of many species of Arctiid moths are called "woolly bears" because of their long, thick, furlike setae.

Info 35 0
Similar species: Moths And Butterflies
Species identified by Christine Young
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By Christine Young

All rights reserved
Uploaded Jun 21, 2020. Captured Jun 20, 2020 11:54 in 5 East St, New Milford, CT 06776, USA.
country flag of United States of America Explore United States of America 39,925 9,640 8
  • Canon EOS 90D
  • f/4.0
  • 1/64s
  • ISO320
  • 100mm

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