4-Season Weather Signs according to "Jerry Baker"greenspun.com : LUSENET : Country Style Homesteading : One Thread |
Hello all! I have this book by Jerry Baker called "Great Green Book of Garden Secrets" that I've found interesting. I thought I would share a little of it about some aspects of mother nature and the weather.
"Don't Forget the Weather"
All of your best-laid garden plans can be washed down the drain if you don't consider the weather. Don't attempt to till, seed, weed, or set out bulbs or plants without first seeing whether Mother Nature is going to cooperate. Believe you me, you don't want her to wash out, blow out, burn out, or freeze out all of your hard work!
Even though weather-watching and predicting has theoretically become scientific and sophisticated today, the simple truth of the matter is that Mother Nature can still give us the inside scoop on the coming weather. If you pay attention to Mother Nature, it won't be long until you can use her signs to help you plan your days. Here are just a few of Mother Nature's weather signs:
Winter Signs
- Skinny rabbit tracks in the snow mean that a thaw is close at hand.
- Fat rabbit tracks in the snow mean that a thaw is a long way off.
- If the beaver adds more wood to the north side fo his home, winter will continue.
- If the snowdrifts face north, spring will come early.
- If the trees split their bark, it will be a dry, warm spring.
- When the deer reappear, spring is near.
- When the pine needles sweat, spring is an early bet.
Spring Signs
When the leaves on the trees turn their backs to the west, a storm is just around the corner. Red sky at night, the next day is a delight. Red sky in the morning is a storm warning. When the bees leave the flower patch, the rains are a'coming. When the fireflies are heavy, the weather will be bright and sunny for the next three days. Summer Signs
- When the anthills are small, it will be a dry, hot summer.
- When birds fly close to the ground, it will rain soon.
- If the hay field bends to the northeast, the weather will stay hot.
- If the earthworms leave their homes in the ground, a heavy rain is on the way.
- If the cows and horses huddle in a field, a storm is on the way.
- If a rooster crows at noon, the rains will come soon.
- If a cow bellows three times in a row, a storm is not far behind.
Fall Signs
- When the leaves drop early, the Indian summer will be short, and winter will be mild.
- When the sugar maple buds are fat in the fall, winter will be short and sweet.
- When the leaves fall late, winter will be hard.
- When the hornets' nests are fat and low, winter will be cold.
- When the hawks fly low, there will be much snow.
- When the squirrels gather green nuts and do not chatter, it will be a severe winter; chattering squirrels foretell a milder winter.
- If the crickets sing in the chimney, it will be a long winter.
- When the clouds in the sky look like horses' tails, frost is coming.
- If the crows do not frighten in the cornfield, it will be a hard winter.
- If the squirrels' tails are extra fluffy, it will be a cold winter.
- If the moss on the north side fo the tree dries up in the fall, it will be a mild winter.
I've heard stuff like this a good part of my life, but don't think I've really paid that much attention to it. What's been your experience, and do you have any to add?
-- Phil in KS (cshomestead@planetkc.com), April 06, 2002
I always have heard that when cows lie down in the field in the morning, it means that it will be raining soon. I don't have cows for a more detailed study, but observing cows in others fields, it seems to have some validity.The one that perplexes me is what it means when you pass a field full of llamas and they are all lying down (cushed) at sunrise and have their noses pointing straight up in the air. So far, no one has ever been able to tell me what they were doing. It looked pretty peculiar.
-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 07, 2002.
It is also known that hooved critters lie down faceing East when good weather is comming, and West when bad weather is comming.
-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), April 07, 2002.
Many years ago, I could predict the weather better than the t.v. guys. Haven't done a lot of it lately. The seasons don't seeem to be the same, used to be you could count on spring to be spring, etc. There's a good book-Weather Wisdom by Alber Lee, don't know if it's still in print.
-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 09, 2002.