The banded woolly bear larva emerges from the egg in the fall and overwinters in its caterpillar form. It survives winter freezes by producing a cryoprotectant in its tissues. Once the weather warms, the larva devours all the grass and weeds it can, pupates, and becomes an adult, which then lives through the summer. It is the larvae of this species which are the subject of common folklore, which has it that the forthcoming severity of a winter can be predicted by the amount of black on the caterpillar; this is the most familiar woolly bear in North America. They will play dead if picked up or disturbed. The Woollybear Festival is the largest one day festival in the state of Ohio. Fox 8 Meteorologist Dick Goddard is the founder and active participant of the annual Woollybear two hour Parade Festival in Vermilion Ohio in October.