A New Reason To Care About The Wooly Bear

O! Pyrrharctia isabella (known
To schoolkids, fondly, as the Wooly Bear,
For its appearance ere it's fully grown
Into a moth)! This caterpillar's rare
Skill set, while not including future-sight
Into how bad the winter's going to be,
Is greater than we thought! That it can fight
Off freezin' through that season, we agree,
Is cool. Now per Carl Zimmer's column, Loom,
An infestation of cater-cooties
Is something they can live through; they consume,
And thereby press into diff'rent duties,
Some plants containing poisons, which become
Their medicine, and suddenly taste - yum!

In Which I Celebrate A Certain Member of the Lycaenidae Family

It makes me glad when insects hit the news,
No matter if that news is good or bad.
This week a caterpillar chased my blues
Away when it became the latest fad.
It lies in wait for an ant hunting group,
And dabs itself with just the tricksy scent
To cause the ants to scream a frightened whoop
(A metaphor) and say "THAT's where you went,
You silly queen, we'd better get you home
And feed you up and keep you safe and sound!"
Henceforce, not only does this cuckoo roam
At will within the anthill underground,
And dine on choicest ant-food as it likes,
But it's fed larvae when disaster strikes.