Butterflies and Moths Site
Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella)
Also see Butterflies, Moths, & Insects in the News at the end of this article.
Most people aren't nearly as familar with the isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) as they are with its caterpillar, the banded woolly bear.
In fact, there is even a widespread myth that you can tell the weather by looking at the banded woolly bear. The banded woolly bear (also called the woolly worm) has three bands. Two outer black bands and one middle reddish-brown band. It is a common belief that you can tell how severe the winter will be by the amount of black on the woolly bear. Folklore has it that the more black the woolly bear has on it, the more severe the upcoming winter will be. When I was a child my own mother told this as if it were a fact.
Of course the proportion of black versus brown this caterpillar has doesn't really predict the weather. As the caterpillar ages it becomes more brown and less black, which has to do with its age, not the weather.
Isabella tiger moths belong to the family Arctiidae. This moth is common throughout most of North and Central America. Isabella moths are nocturnal and so you won't typically see them during the daytime.
The isabella tiger moth caterpillar isn't very specific about its host plants. It is able to use a variety of host plants and broad-leafed trees. Like most of the tiger moth caterpillars the banded woolly worm will roll up into a ball if you attempt to pick it up or disturb it in some way.
When mature, the caterpillar forms a cocoon in which it overwinters. Adult isabella tiger moths emerge in the spring.
The adult isabella tiger moth has a wingspan of around 2-2.5 inches (5-6.3 cm).
Insects in the News
How To Attract Birds and Butterflies To Your Backyard
Food, water, and shelter. That's all butterflies and birds need to consider your backyard a home.
Howcast
Feb. 11, 2009
Butterflies Under Threat
European butterflies are being forced north by changes to the climate in their natural habitats.
Press Association UK
Dec. 11, 2008. 02:29 PM EST
Attracting Bees with Agastache
Agasatche is on of the best perennials in the garden. Attracting a plethora of wild life, especially bees and butterflies, it is a must have in the garden. This plant thrives in full to part sun and can reach heights of 3-4 feet tall. It will get increasingly wider with each passing year. The plant begins to flower in July and will continue to flower for 8-10 weeks making one of the longest lasting perennials in the garden.
Growing Wisdom
Dec. 24, 2008
August 4, 2008, North Carolina
Successful Gardener: Attracting Birds and Butterflies
July 16, 2008
Learn About Dragonflies
Dragonflies are not as popular as butterflies or some moth species, but they are still beautiful and interesting insects. The following video goes over some interesting and little known facts about dragonflies. Enjoy!
Butterflies | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Moths | Attracting Butterflies | Sitemap | Butterfly Articles
Copyright © 2008 ButterfliesSite.com
Pets Directory |
UKWild Free Eco Banner Exchange
Image of isabella moth ©Patrick Coin from Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 license.
Image of isabella moth ©Christopher Adlam from Wikimedia Commons under the GNU Free Documentation license.
