Weather Forecasting Folklore, Part 2

Signs of spring are definitely in sight! Please share your forecasting folklore.

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1065930/

My dog has started to shed a bit but the horses have not. Wonder which of them is smarter?

Thanks much for a faster loading thread. Many of our elms are budding out already.

An 95 year old man explained why the pond water levels drop so much in spring. I would have never guessed that. I feel there is much to be learned or knowledge to be lost via the elderly!

Spring fever has gripped me!
Warmer breezy days with wildflowers starting to bloom here so I put out a few hummingbird feeders. Early this year but I'm ready for it.

WOW..... HB feeders already. I'm gearing up for one final hard snowstorm. lol There isn't anything predicted, but year before last we had a 6-8" snowfall the first week of April!

Hey msrobin ... I grew up in Caney, KS. lol It is on the banks of the Caney River and was named for the Caney Indians that lived along it!

I just walked and for the first time this spring, heard mourning doves calling which always puts me in mind of springtime.
Watched four deer browse around our pond nibbling any hints of green they can find.
The soapwort is putting on new growth but I don't know how reliable that indicator would be.
But my peach tree appears to be budding out.
Hope nature isn't fooled this time.

Crit ~ I know it can happen but oh, so hope you are wrong!

We have the Caney Creek running out here. Wonder if it was also named after the Caney Indians? What little I can find about Caneyville history doesn't include anyone named Caney.

No major signs of spring here yet. Hay is starting to turn green. We had 2 days of 74 with today in the mid-60's (started with 62 this morning), but suppose to be in the 30's tonight and a high tomorrow in the 40's.

I need to walk around and see what trees are starting to bud. Have seen quite a few deer in the past few days and a Blue Jay today. Only saw a couple of Cardinals over the winter.

CUT THAT OUT!!!

Do you know how late Easter is this year???

Quit kicking my bucket... lol

Did you notice my picture above of the April snowstorm? :-) I always try to wait until May 1, but I usually do a few things after Easter.

Crit, I did finally see your picture, but due to earlier internet problems couldn't enlarge it this morning to see what it was. It's a beautiful scene! Better if it was December though, right? I'm not getting excited about spring yet, as I know we are in for at least one more round.

I wonder if my chickens know something the weather forecasters don't? They are usually anxious to get out of their enclosed sideyard attached to their coop and take off on a dead run as soon as I open the door. I opened the door this morning and they came out for about 5 minutes, then turned around and went back in. They are just hanging out in a group in the sideyard. The dog is outside, so I'm sure there are no critters stalking them and the temp is 40, cloudy but no rain forecast for today.

This message was edited Feb 22, 2011 12:27 PM

We can tell a lot from critters

Or they can tell us a lot. LOL Discovered what the issue was with them after they were locked in this evening. I looked out the window a little later and there was a Banty Rooster wandering around outside the pen and my Leghorn Rooster wasn't too happy about it. Had to be the neighbor's, but was surprised he wandered this far over through a small pasture and a couple of wooded areas. And I was thinking they were just huddling together like cattle do before a storm.

LOL.......

Banty Rooster: "I'd walk a mile for a white Leghorn".....

We always put our Hummingbird feeders out the 1st week of March... you don't want to miss those scouts coming in. Add a bit extra sugar to the feed.. make sure you catch them & keep em! we had 12 pairs last year... my mom's friend had near 30 hummingbirds total... it was great watching them on the feeders.

Thanks. I'll get mine up too. We usually have 5-8 every summer.

I don't put mine up until after tax day. My mom always said April 25. I must of had 50 last year! More than I have ever had in my life. They would buzz and swoosh by me all the time. It was so cool.

Like this?

Now that's an "it's not winter any more" photo if I've ever seen one! :)

This is the best pic I could get last year. I think there are 8 in this pic.

Nope, this is the one I was looking for.

What a friendly group! Mine always seem to be chasing and fighting.

Same here porkpal. Must be those lazy hummers that choose to stay behind in TX.
One will homestead a feeder and keep the rest away. I finally just went to single station feeders.
The only time I saw swarms of hummers at a feeder was right before a hurricane came through.


Will March come in like a lamb

or a lion

at your home ?

The ones we get usually fuss and fight too but after the numbers increase the fussy ones just give up and wait their turn. LOL.

Mine do too. I still have some that are 'guarded' by bullies. I put up 8 of them so that not all of them would be fought off. So now the bullies have theirs and the socialites have several to choose from. They were 'everywhere'!!!! Even with all the buzz, swish and swoosh, none ever ran into me! ^_^

I only had a few last year, mainly because one male just ran everyone off constantly. I even moved another feeder far out into the other side of the yard but he'd spend all of his time in the one tree that could see both feeders. I don't know how he ever had time to eat he was so busy chasing. But I had a hummie nest and two babies, so I guess that was why he was so much of a fuss budget all of the time. I still love the courtship swing and chirping, cracks me up every time. I usually don't even know there is a female around until a male starts his metronome swooping and chirping.

This year I have fencing for a small bed in front of the house, when I plant my sunflowers I'm going to throw out some hummingbird plant seeds too, maybe that will lessen the fighting over the feeders. No flowers really around here at all, and all farm land, so they don't have much outside of the woods to visit. I have to get my veggies going before I ever really worry about flowering stuff. Hopefully this year I'll do better and maybe have some time (and money) to put in some plantings for the little guys and gals.

~H

Squash and cukes are up and have 2nd set of leaves. Everything is greening up. been in the 80's for the last week. Had to put screen over my english peas today. I hope this isn't a sign for a brutal summer.

I don't know about the swooping and chirping. Guess I just never noticed it before.

I have, on occasion, seen that courtship display of swooping and chirping. It is delightful. A pair will climb high in the air, then drop down in an arc and making those delightful chirps. How fun! I think we are all ready for summer aren't we???

Fun too to have them perch on a body part. I had read they will light on your fingertips if you hold them under a perchless feeder and stand very still so I tried that one year and had that happen. They weigh absolutely nothing. One of natures' fascinations. Lizards_keep you have a summer ahead of feet propped on the side table.while sitting while watching the feeder. You lucky dog!

My hummers always return around Mothers' Day. I have my feeders ready and we are in business. Can't wait!

Had to break out the chain saw as the wind downed a tree across the driveway. Now I need to clean said chain saw. When it rains ...

Awwwwwwwwww .... sorry Dyson!

I've seen the HB's doing that a lot! I just didn't realize that was a courtship. Sweeeeeeeeeet! Learn something new everyday. My foot ball is over ....... I'm ready for my Hummers!!!!!! Don't expect them until the end of April.

Hows this?

Awesome! How did you do that????

Isn't that cool...
I saw a video of people serving a red hummer food in the palm of their hand and getting that type of audience.
Is that your secret? lol

Ditto on the awesome and cool!

Yep ... she's holding a red bottle cap with hummer juice in it.

I did that one summer when we lived in GA. They would come and land on me when I held the feeder in my lap. That was my lunch hour fun. My husband was still alive then and the big conversation when he got in from work would be "so, what did you do with the hummies today?" LOL!

I never even saw a hummingbird in person until I moved to Atlanta in 2004. You'd have thought I was about five years old, as I'd stand right by the feeder just so that I could see them up close, remaining nearly motionless for over an hour. Looking back, I believe I was just a tad obsessive about them...haha! I still have feeders, but don't get all a twitter about them, maybe because there's no one to share the joy with any more. But I dearly enjoy the courtship displays every year and always look to their return as a sure sign that spring is here :)