Don’t Worry: 2020 NH Caterpillar is Not a Sign of the Apocalypse

This cute little guy was crawling across my path yesterday and I was quite alarmed to see no reddish brown midsection. There's a good reason for that and it's not that the apocalypse is near.

For those of you that are unaware of the old farmer's tale regarding the woolly bear caterpillar, the longer the brownish red stripe is in the mid-section, the milder the winter will be.

Since this specimen is barely even showing any reddish hue, I was convinced that an
Ice Age unlike any in the history of modern civilization is sure to pounce upon us. A fitting grand finale to the apocalyptic free fall that 2020 has been since February.

But, instead of painting a sandwich board with an end of the world warning. I decided that maybe I should Google 'Woolly bear caterpillar, no brown stripe' and that quickly put an end to my anxiety.

It's not a Woolly Bear caterpillar at all! It's a Giant Leopard Moth.

For the life of me I can't recall ever seeing one of these before. They're very common though and are found from Canada all the way down to Central America.

They're beautiful in moth form and their pattern looks just like that of a Snow Leopard.

The only thing that may be a bit misleading is that they're called 'Giant'. All the photos and footage that I've looked at, they appear to be just an inch or an inch and a half long.

Ice Age averted! Rejoice!