Why Are Mainers Seeing Worms and Caterpillars in the Snow Right Now?

You'd think snow and winter would finally make some critter go away.

I really don't really remember all these weird winter insect type creatures when I was young, like winter moths. Probably because I was completely unobservant to the world around me. If it didn't revolve around my Atari 2600, I probably did not pay much attention to it. But you'd think I would remember worms and caterpillars that survive in snow.

It sounds like it's something right out of a sci-fi movie, but folks on Facebook's Maine Wildlife page, started posting pics of mega-bizarre creatures slithering about in the snow. Creepy looking is the minimum base-line description for a couple critters I'd never heard of until today, which doesn't mean much, hahaha.

Turns out, it wasn't remotely sci-fi at all. More like a nature show...

So if you look at the photos in the thread from Facebook, you are actually looking at photos of cutworms and presumably earthworms. The cutworms eventually turn into brownish gray moths when the warmer weather hits. But seeing a wormy, caterpillar creature squiggling about in the snow is the stuff nightmares are made of.

Although, I have to say, the regular worms people were also posting in the same thread were downright nauseating. They're reddish brown and thin, and basically just wiggle around and look gross. If that's they're only job on Earth, they're doing it right. But why are they out in winter? I can't find a lot of info saying why. Maybe the warm temps?

I suppose they could be jumping worms, which are much more energetic, if not aggressive. At least as worms go. The ground is barely frozen at best, so they could just be coming up through the snow, all confused. Either way, worms and caterpillars in the snow are just something we're not used to. But maybe now we have to be? Still... gross.

Need a quick road trip to get away from the family? We gotchu...