The Washington Post - USA (2021-11-23)

C8 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 , 2021

ACROSS 1 D.C. insider 4 Anxious feeling 9 “Silent Night” words before calm and bright 14 Actress Gardner 15 More rational 16 Africa’s Sierra __ 17 “Star Wars” sequel trilogy heroine 18 Spicy condiment 20 Pay off illicitly 22 How a scary- movie watcher might recoil 23 Astronaut’s milieu 26 Deserved, as recognition 27 Keep separate from the rest 28 Restaurant chain with an owl logo 31 Horne of jazz 32 In the manner of 34 Oktober endings 35 Lawn areas lacking grass 39 Perth __, NJ 42 LBJ’s boy beagle 43 Big brass 47 Greets with guffaws 50 Features of some cruise ships 52 Heavy weight 53 NYC’s World Financial Center architect 55 Working together as one 58 ’90s candidate __ Perot 59 Coins in one’s pocket ... and what literally happens in each set of circles 62 When doubled, a Latin dance 63 Fix in the crosshairs 64 Knighted com- poser Edward 65 Showy pond fish 66 Stacks like Tupperware

67 Wed on the sly 68 Vicious with a bass

DOWN 1 Partially cook, as rice 2 Employ excessively, as muscles 3 Overdo the flattery 4 Last word of Kansas’ motto 5 Macduff rebuff 6 Econ. measure 7 Old photo hue 8 Battlefield furrow 9 “What’s more ...” 10 Norman who created Archie and Edith Bunker 11 French pilgrimage site 12 Trying a case, say 13 Prophetic woman 19 Prefix with stat 21 Overdo, as a point

24 Twinkler 25 Soccer standout 29 Frequently, to a bard 30 More irritable 33 Fireplace grate buildup 36 Shakespearean cries 37 12-point type 38 Actor Epps

39 Craftsperson 40 Marshmallowy treat 41 Little chickens 44 Disengages the bolt for, as a door 45 Russian ballet company 46 “Let me reiterate ...”

48 “High Voltage” band 49 Far from a guffaw 51 Round figure 54 Little 56 “I smell __!” 57 Ping-Pong supplies 60 Private aid prog. 61 Space between outfielders

LA TIMES CROSSWORD By Bruce Venzke

MONDAY’S LA TIMES SOLUTION

BY GINA RICH

I

f you see a banded woolly bear caterpillar inching along, winter is probably around the corner. Also called woolly worms, the fuzzy-look- ing insects are a familiar autumn sight — and their unique color variations have long sparked curiosity. Young caterpillars are mostly black, with a small band of lighter-brown hair- like bristles in the middle, said Susan Weller. She is an entomologist and direc- tor of the University of Nebraska State Museum. Each time the insects molt, growing a new coat, they turn more brown. According to folklore, the wider the brown band, the milder the winter — an idea later popularized by entomologist Charles Howard Curran. (Entomologists are scientists who study insects.) While the caterpillars have inspired many contests and festivals, “they don’t predict the weather,” said Joe Boggs. Boggs is an assistant professor at Ohio

State University Extension and an educa- tor in the university’s entomology depart- ment. Last fall, Boggs collected a random group of woolly bears from a plant-rich area of Ohio. Although the caterpillars were similar sizes, suggesting they were the same age, they had different amounts of brown coloring. If such markings truly predicted the weather, “you would think all the woolly bears would look pretty much the same,” Boggs said. Winter forecasting skills aside, woolly bears have cool qualities.

Insect ‘antifreeze’ The caterpillars we see crawling in the fall hatched from eggs during the summer. We notice them in the autumn because they’re bigger, said Boggs, and because they’re moving a lot to find shelter before winter. Spaces that are buffered against the cold, such as under logs and leaf piles, make good hiding spots. As winter approaches, the worms stop

feeding and empty their digestive and excretory systems by defecating — poop- ing — out any contents. That ensures they “get rid of anything that could cause ice crystals to form,” Weller said. Made of sugars, proteins and alcohol, the insect “antifreeze” is produced by the insects internally and circulates in their blood, helping woolly bears survive temperatures far below zero degrees. Once warmer weather returns, the antifreeze breaks down and the caterpillars begin moving again. They pupate, form- ing cocoons, and eventually emerge in their adult form as Isabella tiger moths. Those adults find mates and lay eggs that become a new generation of caterpillars.

Outsmarting predators The woolly bear’s stiff hairs are an important defense against predators such as yellow jackets and other wasps. By curling into a ball, caterpillars posi- tion their bristles on the outside and protect vulnerable organs.

“The wasp has to be really hungry to want to tackle a bristly caterpillar,” Weller said. Some species have developed defenses against parasites, which attack from inside caterpillars’ bodies. Normally woolly bears avoid eating plants with bitter compounds, called pyrrolizidine alka- loids, because they can stunt growth. But scientists found that when flies laid eggs on caterpillars and the larvae started feeding on them, the caterpillars began to “self-medicate” by eating plants with bitter compounds. Entomologists are study- ing how this behavior helps the caterpillars. “We’re not exactly sure whether it’s like drinking chicken soup, which helps your immune system be strong, or if it’s actual- ly like taking an antibiotic that’s killing the disease inside of you,” said Weller. Either way, this adaptation is good news for caterpillars, which survive and grow up to be moths. [email protected]

How woolly bear uses clever tricks to survive

TODAY’S NEWS

Moose in Northern Michigan have more ticks during winters after partic- ularly warm summers, according to a study published in the journal Fron- tiers in Ecology and Evolution. Infested moose often host tens of thousands of ticks, which burrow into their skin to suck their blood. The moose try to get rid of the pests by rubbing against trees so aggressively that their fur wears away. The infesta- tion is usually survivable for adults but less so for calves. Scientists who collected data over 19 years at Michigan’s Isle Royale Na- tional Park reported Monday that climate change may lead to worse infes- tations. That’s presumably because higher temperatures quicken the develop- ment of tick eggs, boosting the num- ber surviving to hatch, said author Sarah Hoy. She is a research assistant professor of animal ecology at Michi- gan Technological University. “We usually think about winter hav- ing a big impact on moose, but growing evidence suggests summer might be even more important,” Hoy said. — Associated Press

SARAH HOY/ASSOCIATED PRESS Moose in Northern Michigan have more ticks during the winters after warmer s ummers, a study says.

Warmer climate

may increase ticks

on Michigan moose

CHIP SAYS On this day in 1765, Frederick County, Maryland, passed the Repudiation Act, which made the county exempt from the British stamp tax — eight years before the Boston Te a Party.

kidspost

KIDSPOST.COM For more animal-related stories, look on our website for our collection of stories about endangered animals.

TODAY Skies are sunny, but this is the coldest day of the fall yet. Highs reach the low to mid-40s. ILLUSTRATION BY SARAYU PECHALA, 10, NORTH POTOMAC

PHOTOS BY JOE BOGGS A woolly bear caterpillar protects i tself by exposing s tiff bristles to a wasp, right. The insect survives cold weather w ith a natural “antifreeze” circulating in its blood.

Adapted from an online discussion.

Hi Carolyn: A co- worker was diagnosed last year with a fatal degenerative brain disease. Apparently he cannot handle email anymore but enjoys getting cards and notes. What the heck do you write on a card in this case? “Thinking of you” sounds lame to me, but that is all I can think of. I am not close to him but saw him every day and we would chat occasionally. — Colleague

Colleague: Tough news, and tough to navigate — that in- between place of caring but not close. You’re on to the right idea with the thinking-of-you card, even though it feels like a weak effort. It doesn’t need to be poetry; it just needs to say you care. So, say something kind and true: “I always enjoyed our exchanges and I miss seeing you around the office.” If you had any in-jokes, refer to those, the more superficial the better. Just give yourself a push. You can do this. You can also do more, which

might, counterintuitively, make the original task easier: Instead of writing One Card for the Ages, plan to write, say, a card a week/ fortnight/month. Use every little scrap of what you know about this person. First one, “I miss seeing you around the office.” Second, “Heard you’re a Caps fan — here’s a great Ovie story,” printed out and enclosed. Third, a little office gossip. It’s the presence that counts. Readers’ thoughts: l When my husband was terminally ill, visits were the gold standard, but emails, phone calls, letters and cards, those were all great. People mentioned things they remembered from their shared past, the latest political idiocy, what was happening on “Better Call Saul.” Also: Say that the person doesn’t have to respond, that you’ll keep sending cards anyway. l I’ve always found humor to be best, and honesty: “I realize we’re not normally send-a-card- type friends, so just consider this a friendly ‘what’s up?’ like when I pass you in the hall at work.” Most people don’t care so much what you say, it’s the gesture that makes them feel better. l Sometimes it is easier to send a thing, because now the note can be, “I thought you would like these.” I sent flowers

to a great aunt who had cancer, and an assortment of jams to a colleague. I don’t spend a ton on these things. l I inherited the box of unused family postcards going back to the ’50s. You can’t say much on a postcard, so I just say whatever snippet of daily life has occurred. One day a card might be a castle in France, or a market in Turkey, or a parking lot in Cleveland. I’ve sent these postcards to others who were sick and every one begged me not to stop. l I send a card every week or so to my friend’s father in assisted living. I’ve never met him. He loves animals, so I send pictures of my dog. I write whatever pops in my head that day. Just fun to do! l Articles, jokes, etc., would also be good for those isolated in care facilities. l Letters Against Isolation (lettersagainstisolation.com) is an amazing resource to connect isolated seniors with volunteers who want to send cards.

Write to Carolyn Hax at [email protected]. Get her column delivered to your inbox each morning at wapo.st/g ethax.

 Join the discussion live at noon Fridays at washingtonpost.com/live- chats.

How best can a reader lend support

to a colleague with a terminal illness?

Carolyn Hax

NICK GALIFIANAKIS FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

The Washington Post - USA (2021-11-23)

Get our desktop app

Company

Features

Documentation

Resources