BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 7, 2024
During autumn in Maine, the leaves aren’t the only colorful things on the landscape. Crawling through the cool grass, caterpillars of all shapes and shades are on the move, and many of them are quite flashy. he caterpillars that are wandering around Maine in the fall are heading to bed. As the weather cools and the days shorten, these small creatures are searching for shelter, and perhaps a final meal, before spending several cold months in hibernation. The woolly bear, one of Maine’s most well-known fall caterpillars. The smeared dagger caterpillar is another bright fall wanderer. “Wooly bears are fine [to handle]. Some tussocks are not.”