According to folklore:
From > https://www.weather.gov/arx/woollybearAccording to folklore, the amount of black on the woolly bear in autumn varies proportionately with the severity of the coming winter in the locality where the caterpillar is found. The longer the woolly bear's black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, the wider the middle brown band is associated with a milder upcoming winter. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest. If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold. In addition, the woolly bear caterpillar has 13 segments to its body, which traditional forecasters say correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.
Saw this one while walking back and forth to the shop:
Wooly Bear Caterpiller 2021-09-06M.jpg
They have been a little smaller this year compared to in the past.
Hopefully it will be a warm winter. Though that could mean more snow and rain. Because the price of propane is so high this year we decided not to get a gas tank for the house or a gas stove. We also decided to not heat the greenhouse. Instead we will move any sensitive plants into the house.
jtk