Banded Wooly bear Caterpillar

Pyrrharctia isabella

Appears: Early spring it begins as a plant-eating caterpillar and through the winter remains as a larva. It continues to eat plants for a short time in the spring before it spins its cocoon and becomes an Isabella tiger moth.

Detrimental: The banded wooly bear caterpillar eats a wide variety of leaves from trees and plants such as asters, birches, clover, corn, dandelions, elms, maples, nettles, and sunflowers. It was hard to find information that would argue whether the wooly bear is detrimental to your garden. Differences between moths and butterflies in Pennsylvania. In it, it is suggested that the larvae that eat plants are actually stimulating new growth of stronger leaves in your garden.

Up to 57mm (larvae)