{"id":14149,"date":"2026-09-12T10:49:53","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T17:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/?p=14149"},"modified":"2026-09-12T10:49:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T17:49:53","slug":"woolly-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rocknponderosa.com\/?p=14149","title":{"rendered":"Woolly Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a minor project, I was moving equipment and pieces around when preparing to sand a board. I turned back to the target board and thereon was a Woolly Bear. This is the larval form of the Isabella tiger moth (Pyrrharctia isabella). From the Wikipedia site I learned: “… larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form, by allowing most of its mass to freeze solid. First its heart stops beating, then its gut freezes, then its blood, followed by the rest of the body …” This helps explain the name.
\n Pyrrharctia Isabella translates to fire cold gray\/yellow moth. Pyr is Latin for fire, while arctia means cold, as in the Arctic. Isabelline, is a pale grey-yellow, to pale cream-brown, color. Isabelline describes the coloration of the woolly bear\u2019s adult form, and a gown in the first Queen Elizabeth\u2019s wardrobe. The web has a photo of “light Palomino” horse described as isabelline.
\nThe two forms are shown here:
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\nI gathered the critter and placed it in the leaf litter under a Lilac bush. I hope it is happy there. I returned to the sanding. <\/p>\n

I will use that board to anchor a hanging “welcome” sign over the entry ramp. \"\"
\nThat roof has long tongue-&-groove boards. The sanded board would not fit because the ceiling boards have warped and are coming undone. The dark line in the photo is the gap between the “tongue” and the “groove”. Oops!
\nThis spot is almost 10 feet above the sloping ramp. Such a great place to work. When I thought of hanging a sign, I figured the project would take about 2 hours. But my ladders were not adequate, so I had to build scaffolding. Not a problem, but now I have to fix the twisted boards. I am now into the project for about 8 hours, maybe 10. Uff da!<\/p>\n

The P\u00e9tanque group settled on the 23rd to come over and initiate my attempt of a playing surface – a boulodrome or bowling terrain. We’ll gather about 3:00 for pot luck, wine, and p\u00e9tanque. I’ve not got lights so the early start time is a good choice and we’ll finish before dark so getting back to familiar roads can be done while watching for critters.
\nI stopped by the University’s surplus sale yard and got five more chairs for 50\u00a2 each. One is a rolling desk chair, two of the others have arms; all are nicely padded. While there, I got 7 five-gallon paint buckets, also 50\u00a2 each. The University has an unlimited supply of such things and Apple computers. The almost new iMacs appear to be the All-In-One Desktop type that retail for $1,500 to $2,000. Surplus price is $50 and they always have dozens. I have a better computer and now I have an abundance of nice chairs. <\/p>\n

I was getting mail and a neighbor stopped to report a cougar sighting, crossing Naneum Road about 100 yards north of me. I’m not usually in the loop for such neighborhood information and this was just a chance occurrence because I was along the road as they came by. It is known that the cougars are in the region but I’m more apt to see a Woolly Bear or similar critter. In 2024 I saw a Hawk Moth Caterpillar in a plum tree. It is a drastically different looking animal.<\/p>\n

Critter in a Plum Tree<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n