The wooly bear drawing is by Marissa Cecere, a fourth grader in Easton, PA. (Click for larger image)

Wooly Bear season. Roads and highways for the last 10 days have been host to legions of wooly bear caterpillars, which wander hither and yon, on sunny days, to seek choice lairs in which to hibernate.

Perhaps the bright pavement attracts them, but whatever the cause, countless wooly bears are lured to violent deaths this time of year, along with snakes, salamanders, and squirrels that hazard similar road crossings.

The wooly bear’s mission is to secure a patch of dry litter or a niche in a fallen log that will shelter it during winter. Once installed, it curls into a ball—as it does if we disturb it —and hibernates until early spring.

In April, we witness repeat performances by survivors, emerging to feed awhile before weaving their hair into cocoons and changing into small Isabella moths.

When woolies step out on sunny days, they’re said to achieve rates of four feet per minute (about 0.05 mph).

Weather forecasting is also ascribed to them. If black bands of hair at each end are longer than reddish hair in the middle, tradition says the winter season will be long and hard. A wide black band in front predicts a severe, early winter.