The Wooly worms have made there annual visit to Brevard. When I see them I always know that winter is around the corner. Below are some interesting facts about the Wooly Worm and MaMaw (grandmother Worley) no matter what research says was just about right on with the weather by observing the Wooly Worm and other creatures. Not to mention she always planted her gardens by the signs and I never saw a bad crop but always one of the best gardens in the south.
Below is a compilation of several articles I found quite interesting; enjoy and maybe if you pet one you just might have some good luck.
"The creatures we call wooly worms are, in fact, caterpillars, so their time spent as a wooly worm is limited. The United States is home to at least eight species of the hairy caterpillars that are commonly called wooly worms."
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, the longer the middle brown band, the milder and shorter the coming winter; the shorter the brown band, the longer and more severe winter will be.
The truth behind the woolly worms/bear's band length actually has more to do with age than with 
predicting the weather. As the caterpillar prepares to overwinter, the caterpillar molts, becoming less black and more reddish-brown as it ages. Woolly worms overwinter from September to May, and are commonly found along nature trails and wooded edges and crossing sidewalks and roadways seeking overwintering sites.
A lot of folklore surrounds the banded wooly worm, particularly related to its supposed ability to predict upcoming winter weather each fall.
"The typical banded wooly worm has sections of black hairs at each end, and a section of orange-brown hairs in the center," she explained. "Legend says that the more black on a banded wooly worm, the more severe the winter will be.
"Some folks have taken this to an extreme, and noting that there are 13 segments in a typical banded wooly worm, they argue that each segment represents one week of winter. Orange segments predict mild weeks, and black ones foretell bad winter weather."
Then there are those that insist that the thickness of the hairs is the predictor--thick hair equals a bad winter, sparse hair a mild one. Another legend says that the direction a wooly worm is found traveling is a hint about the coming winter. If the wooly worm is traveling north, count on a mild winter. If he's headed south, get ready for a long, cold winter.
"Research has shown repeatedly that the colors or hairs of wooly worms have no bearing on weather the following winter," she said. "Larvae hatched from the same clutch of eggs reared under one set of environmental conditions will show a range of hair thickness and colorations, from fully orange to fully black.
"This variation in a constant environment is a strong argument against wooly worms being able to predict the weather. There is genetic segregation for color and hair thickness present in the wooly worm population. This segregation would make it nearly impossible to visually sort out any environmental influence if it did exist."
People come from miles around to participate in the Banner Elk wooly worm festival races.
This month's safety tip comes from Priscilla Tinsley of Morrow Insurance Company here in Straus Park Brevard NC. I thought it was a timely article that deserved posting as we all know Christmas is around the corner and I know I'm not the only person that plugs in as many cords as possible when indoor or outdoor lights are used. Lets all live safer this year buy paying attention and not always taking a shortcut.
With today's heavy use of electrical devices, it is quite common to run short of electrical outlets in the office, home or workshop. Often one will add a power strip to help alleviate the problem, but people will also add a second or even a third strip by plugging it into the original power strip, a practice known as daisy chaining. Unfortunately, daisy chaining can create a potentially serious fire loss due to overloaded electrical circuits.
Every year thousands of fires result from the misuse and overloading of power cords, power strips and surge protectors. Unfortunately, poor quality or defective power strips increase the dangers from misuse and overloading. There have also been recalls on various power strips. You may go to this website: http://www.recall-warnings.com to find out if your power strip has been recalled.
A power strip, otherwise know as a relocatable or temporary power tap, is not designed to be used as permanent wiring. When you are not using an electrical device connected to a power strip, it is recommended the power strip be unplugged from the outlet, unless the power strip is a UL or ELT listed device and has an internal fuse protector. There is no substitute for permanent wiring. A job most licensed electricians are willing to complete.
Guidelines for Use of Power Strips
Last night on the way home from work at about 7PM on Highway 64 East in front of the Pisgah Forest Cemetery there was a road block with the highway patrol. They checked licenses and checked to be sure we were wearing our seat belt. Then they handed me a paper entitled Transylvania County Residents in all caps, large print and bold text. The paper went on to say that since January, 13 people have died on the roadways in our county, compared to only 2 at the same time last year. Of those 13, only 2 were properly restrained! If you won’t buckle up for yourself, do it for you family.
I am totally amazed that we still have people in today’s world that first don’t respect the law; if there state like North Carolina has seat belt laws, and won’t wear them. I remember as a child and at 59 years old that was a long time ago, but my dad bought a new Chevy I think Impala and it came with seat belts and back then we drove at wide open speeds so to speak. Our highways were posted 70 back then. So I am assuming seat belts have been around since the 50’s or early 60’s.
My 2nd cousin just 2 months ago driving impaired ran off the road, went through the windshield, became best friends with the highway some 65 feet sliding on it, still lived but has rods down the entire length of his back on both sides of the spine that he will have the rest of his life. I asked him why he didn’t wear a seat belt and even today he says he never will. In fact the week before the accident he got a ticket for not wearing his seat belt. I wonder what will happen to him the next time.
In short folks I agree with the highway patrol. If you won’t buckle up for yourself, do it for you family!
I have started to see the butterflies as they migrate to Mexico so did some research and below is some really interesting information. Just another reason as I say why I love Brevard area so much with not only it's lifestyle but Nature!
I have always wondered how a butterfly can fly all the way to Mexico from upper states. Then next year their young will fly back again. Soon on the Blue Ridge Parkway there will be dark cloud like swarms for a better term. You can park at an overlook at Wagon Road Gap, at over 5,000 feet in elevation and see this wonderful display of Gods creation cloud the skies.
Butterfly antennas key to navigating in migration
WASHINGTON - Millions of Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico for the winter and scientists have long speculated on how the insects find their way. Turns out, their antennas are the key.
How do we know? Well, researchers painted butterfly antennas black, and the insects got lost.
Managing to fly south may not sound like a big deal to people armed with maps and GPS receivers, but all butterflies have for navigation is the sun in the sky.
And the sun keeps moving, so the little creatures have to constantly adjust to stay on course throughout the day.
Like most animals, Monarchs have a so-called circadian clock in their brain that helps them know what time it is. Knowing the time and the position of the sun allows them to orient to the south.
But Monarch butterflies have a second clock based in their antennas, which also sense light, according to the new study led by Dr. Steven M. Reppert, chairman of neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
"Whatever we learn about the insect ... is going to tell us a little bit more about how our brain works," said Reppert, who studies the internal clocks in the brains of animals, including people.
Plus, he added in a telephone interview, "it's fascinating biology that's begging to be understood."
Researchers had thought the navigation took place in the brain of the butterfly, but this experiment shows that the brain and antenna each has a circadian clock and they work together, he said.
The researchers, whose study appears in Friday's edition of the journal Science, did the test by holding the butterfly wings gently and dipping their antennas in enamel paint.
The ones with black paint were unable to orient to the south, they found, while butterflies whose antennas were coated with clear paint had no trouble navigating.
That not only showed the antennas were sensing light for navigating, it also showed that the sense of smell isn't involved in finding the way, since both paints blocked that ability.
And, since the animals with black paint got lost even though their eyes were able to see light, the researchers concluded the antennas were vital to finding the way.
Butterflies whose antennas were surgically removed also became disoriented.
Charalambos P. Kyriacou of the University of Leicester, England, said the experiment indicates that the antennas serve as a sort of stand-alone global positioning system for the insects.
"The antenna clock appears to override any input from the brain clock for navigation," Kyriacou, who was not part of Reppert's research team, said in a commentary on the report.
Reppert's research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
On the Net:
Science: www.sciencemag.org
It's late September and we're starting to see good color in the region's higher elevations, particularly above 5000'. Mountains shielded the Asheville area from the worst of last week's Southeastern downpour, so the trees still have plenty of leaves. The US Forest Service predicts that peak colors in areas which received plentiful rain should be most vivid and vibrant when drier cooler weather triggers foliage change. Director of Horticulture at Biltmore Parker Andes explains, "If October progresses like previous years, then we'll have a dry month with the first frost near the middle of the month. This will mean great fall color, because we still have lots of leaves on the trees."
Early fall wildflowers continue to bloom, creating a colorful understory beneath the forest canopy. Goldenrods, black-eyed susans and joe-pye weed dapple the roadside on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sunflowers shine bright yellow by the Pisgah Inn, located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 408.6. Goldenrods light up where leaf color is just beginning to show. Grandfather Mountain,
The profusion of brilliant red berries near the inn belong to the mountain ash, one of early fall's most stunning tree species. Mount Pisgah offers a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. From an elevation of 5721', you can see Cold Mountain and Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River at 6684'. Below Mount Mitchell you can also see Asheville, 25 miles away.
Continuing south along the Parkway, some great places to hike include Graveyard Fields (milepost 418.8), Devil's Courthouse (milepost 422.4), and the upper Shining Rock area, accessible from the East Fork Trail (milepost 417.0). Although the full flood of fall color is still just around the corner, you will see poplars, red oaks, white oaks, and locusts begin to turn a range of red, orange and yellow at these higher elevations.
Another great drive full of trails and excellent vistas is north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Craggy Pinnacle Trail (milepost 364.2) and Mount Mitchell (milepost 355) both offer breathtaking panoramic views. Catch the rusty red of dogwoods, sumacs and sourwoods. Tulip poplars are turning yellow, and the maples species are in their earliest stages of color change.
Don't forget to Check out our Real Estate in the Brevard NC area. Visit www.HomeINBrevard.Com for just a few samples of wonderful pricing on lots, acreages, homes and commercial properties. Feel free to search a dozen or more areas around the Brevard area.
Recent rainfall has given new life to the waterfalls of Western North Carolina, which should continue to have strong flow for the remainder of the season. Glassmine falls, located near Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 361.2, can be seen just a few steps from the parking area. Highway 276, which connects Brevard and Waynesville, is home to the 85-foot Looking Glass falls and Moore Cove Falls. Also located on Highway 276 is the Cradle of Forestry, the first school of Forestry in America. Education/Interpretation Program Manager at the Cradle of Forestry Cindy Carpenter remarks, "This is a nice time of year to hike. You can pass openings where plants like white snakeroot are blooming, and joe-pye-weed and ironweed are attracting butterflies. In addition to wildflowers and trees, spreads of fall ferns are always lovely, whether in the open or in the woods."
Access Highway 276 by taking the Blue Ridge Parkway south to Wagon Road Gap (milepost 412.0). Immediately after the parking area, take a left to begin the 15-mile descent to Brevard. You may want to stop for lunch at one of the many scenic picnic spots. Continue on 276 until you reach Looking Glass Falls. The Pisgah Ranger Station, located on Highway 276, can provide more information on activities in the area. Alternatively, for an easier drive with fewer curves, take Highway 280 west toward Brevard, and turn right at Highway 276. Visit soon to catch the spiral ladies tresses orchid, still blooming on the roadsides where they can find the most light.
Thanks to the National Forest Service!
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My wife & I better known as the Kaiser Team in Brevard NC. Dedicated to Providing a superior level of informed, professional real estate services to buyers & sellers. SRS-ABR certified.
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