I was thinking about the fogs we have had this past week and what that means for us when it comes winter time. Here is a list to help you gauge what sort of winter we'll have.
I figure we can't do any worse than the weatherman.
•watching for early morning fogs in August which indicates the number of snows that can be expected during the winter. A heavy fog indicates a heavy snow, a light one a mild snow.
•watching how high or low hornets build their nests; if they build high, that indicates a mild winter; if they build low, a bad winter.
•the thickness of spider webs; when it's going to be a bad winter, there will be an abundance of spider webs. The early morning dew will reveal them scattered on top of the grass in yards and fields.
•the thickness of bark on trees; if the bark on a tree is particularly thick and gnarly, it's going to be a bad winter.
•if the foliage on the trees is thick and hangs on late in the fall, it's going to be a hard winter. The reasoning on that is that the heavier foliage creates more ground cover which in turn protects the little larva and other organisms below the earth's surface.
•if the mast crop (hickory nuts, acorns, etc.) is particularly heavy, it's going to be a hard winter.
•if cornhusks are thick, it'll be a bad winter.
•if fur on animals (such as squirrels, rabbits, deer, fox, and bear — or even domestic fur-bearing animals, if they stay outside all the time) is thick, it's going to be a hard winter.
•if squirrels are busier than usual gathering nuts without chattering, it's going to be a bad winter.
•the first katydid you hear in July gives you frost dates three months later in October.
And of course, let's not forget the woolly worms!
•if the woolly worms are solid black, this means a bad winter from beginning to end with no break in the severeness of it; if they're solid brown, this means a mild winter; if they're black on both ends and brown (or orange) in the middle, it means the beginning and ending of winter will be bad, with a mild spell in between. Also, if there are an abundance of woolly worms (more than usual) this also signifies a hard winter.
If my count is correct so far based on the fogs we should have 1 big snow and 3 small ones.
Kim
