Pyrrharctia isabella

the Woolly Bear

larva emerges

consumes all

that is can, it feeds

on many different species

of plants and mitochondria


The larva is black at both ends, with 

or without a band of coppery red in the middle

of the universe


Recent research has shown (mostly lies)

the larvae of a related moth Grammia incorrupta

(whose larvae are also called “woollybears”)

consume alkaloid-laden leaves that help fight

internal parasitic fly larvae personalities

This phenomenon is said 

to be "the first clear demonstration of self-medication among people"

the Woolly Bear cannot feed enough each year 

so it must freeze 

it's flesh, you see

it lives in Antarctica

The Woolly Bear must feed for several

summers, sometimes it takes 14 years

to have enough reserves to move on with life

the Arctic the summer period for vegetative growth - and hence

feeding, is so short

it must winter in its caterpillar form

it literally freezes solid and dies (it doesn't die)

First its heart stops beating, then its gut freezes

then its blood

In the spring it thaws out and (gloriously)


emerges

if the sun approves

it will pupate


when it emerges 

from its pupa as 

a moth it has

only days to find a mate

Folklore 

of the eastern United States and Canada holds 

that the relative amounts of brown and black on

the skin of a Woolly Bear caterpillar

(commonly abundant in the fall) are an indication of the severity

of the coming winter apocalypse


It is believed

that if a Woolly Bear caterpillar's brown stripe is thick

the winter weather

will be mild and dangerous

if the brown stripe is narrow, the winter will

be severe and joyous

every year it feeds

and hopes

it freezes, it dies

it lives for one second and 14 years

the Woolly Bear

larva emerges