I came across this topic in two articles, one from the May 2019 Georgia Gardening Magazine and another written by Diane Beyer, who is a master herbalist.
What a fun topic to discuss and check out on your iPad during football season! You might even pull a few of the men away from the big screen with some of these intriguing myths.
RED SKY AT NIGHT, SAILOR’S DELIGHT; RED SKY IN MORNING, SAILORS FAIR WARNING. If you are a weather nerd you probably know all the scientific reasons this is true. But new to me, is the fact that this saying is actually in the bible. You can look it up in Mathew 16:2-3.
WHEN MAPLE LEAVES TURN INSIDE OUT, GET HOME QUICKLY BECAUSE RAIN IS CLOSE. The leaves are actually responding to the change in the humidity that precedes a good gully washer.
Then of course there are those cute weather predictors WOOLLYBEAR CATERPILLARS and PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL. But you’d do well to observe birds as well: HAWKS FLYING HIGH means a clear sky; IF THEY FLY LOW prepare for a blow.
IF SQUIRRELS START TO HOARD EARLY, winter will pierce us like a sword.
PLANT POTATOES ON GOOD FRIDAY. This is the first one I remember as a child. My grandmother did this even in the Mid-West and I’m only now questioning if she really did it when Easter fell early in March.
PLANT BY MOONLIGHT. Modern science has confirmed many farming oral myths, including this one. Moonlight, though subtle, tends toward the infrared, penetrating the earth and plants.
A LARGE CROP OF NUTS MEANS A HARSH WINTER.
FREQUENT HALOS AROUND THE SUN OR MOON MEAN LOTS OF SNOWFALLS.
IF THE HAIR ON THE NAPE OF A COW’S NECK GROWS THICKER, IT WILL BE A BITTER COLD WINTER.
WHEN ONION SKINS ARE VERY THIN, THERE’S A MILD WINTER COMING IN.
WHEN PIGS GATHER STICKS, WATCH FOR A ROUGH WINTER.
Squirrels, hornets, muskrats, ants, snowy owls and corn husks—it seems as if all of nature prepares in its own ways for the season ahead. Which myths and sayings have you heard about nature and weather predictions? Which make sense to you? Which do you find quirky or funny?
Pay attention to nature as the seasons change. What’s the garden trying to tell you?
Janice Bridges, HWMG