Wooly worm watching

I don't know how I missed them. What was I so busy doing in September?

And now, how am I going to know whether I should buy that new wool coat or if my jacket from last year is going to suffice?

It's the wooly worms. I didn't see a single one this year. And I'm not happy about it.

Wooly worms are an important marker in my seasonal progressions. I know when I start seeing them crossing the road that fall is officially here and that it's time for me to start my 'cozy-ing in' process. (You know, buying extra sugar and white flour...)

It seems I'm not alone in my admiration for and dependence on these creatures. In fact, some areas of the country honor them with their own festivals. (Illinois had its first official wooly worm festival in Camargo last year.) They have wooly worm races and wooly worm weather predicting events. (Turns out they actually have about an 85 percent record for accuracy.)

But you know, wooly worms aren't really worms at all. They're caterpillars -- the larva of the Isabella tigermoth. Scientists say that their varying colors are not weather predictors but are caused by temperature levels and, possibly moisture, during the early days of their life. (But then, what do scientists know...See above.)

One truly remarkable tidbit: Once settled in for the winter, wooly worms hibernate by creating a natural organic antifreeze. They freeze bit by bit, until everything but the interior of their cells is frozen. They can -- and do -- survive to temperatures as low as -90F.

As a general rule, the darker the wooly worm, the colder the winter and the lighter the wooly worm the milder the winter. But when a worm has a band of dark color at its head and tail but a lighter band of brown in the middle, it means a cold start and finish to winter with mild weather for the rest of the season.

Just in case you missed them, too, here's the 'Official Wooly Worm Forecast' for 2007, courtesy of Judy Fraser, a weathercaster for WCIA 3 in Champaign: "Most of the worms were brown, copper, tan -- some banded and a few were white. Prediction: A mild winter with a bit of a chilly start and a cool finish ... rather skimpy on the snow ... but enough for Santa."

Guess I'll just go ahead and get last winter's jacket cleaned.