The whole podcast team is still out in the field, so while we're away, we're bringing

back a few amazing oldies from the archive.

Fall in the northern hemisphere is just a week away.

Soon the temperatures will cool, hopefully, and the animals who hibernate will start to

hoard food and make their dens and preparation for winter.

You know the woolly bear caterpillar, right?

It's technically the Isabella tiger moth, but I digress.

Most of us know them as very little seasonal forecasters, you know the bands and how big

they are and whether or not that means long winter, long spring.

Anyway, they don't really forecast anything, it's just superstition, but they do have a

different strategy when it comes to not freezing to death during the winter.

Producer Kate Furby gets low inches from the ground to learn their secrets.

You'll have to listen on to find out how they do it.

This episode first aired on March 3rd, 2023, enjoy!

Some caterpillars have evolved with an anti-freeze in their body cavities, allowing them to

become caterp popsicles to survive cold winters, but climate change could threaten that.

There are caterpillars that have been reported to be put into an ice cube and frozen and

then when the ice cube melts they can get up and walk away.

You may have seen them scooting around on leaf litter in the fall.

They're furry, rotund, and famous for their rumored weather forecasting skills.

I'm talking about the woolly bear caterpillar, or Isabella tiger moth.

These little creatures have an orange waistband stripe whose width is rumored to predict how

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