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These caterpillars will freeze this winter and then emerge in the spring in a different form.
minsta

These caterpillars will freeze this winter and then emerge in the spring in a different form.

These recognizable caterpillars will freeze this winter and emerge in the spring as pretty moths.

Fluffy woolly bear caterpillars are the larvae of the Isabella tiger moth, which comes in shades of orange and yellow with stripes or spots.

There is also an unscientific legend that these caterpillars can predict the severity of winter based on the color of their stripes, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Pictured above, “eight out of nine woolly bear caterpillars agree that the winter will be mild,” the USFWS said in a Facebook post.

However, whether the winter is harsh or mild, they will all be frozen under the leaf litter, the post says. In spring, they thaw, pupate in cocoons, and emerge as Isabella tiger butterflies.

“While there is no scientific basis for the idea that the color of the bands can predict winter weather, it is still fun to observe the patterns,” the post says. “Even caterpillars from the same clutch of eggs can have a wide variation in color.”