Weather Forecasting

[PitbullMidwest]

With winter on its way, I was wondering about old wives tales to predict the upcoming weather.

Locally it's said "Squirrel's nests high in trees, a mild winter it will be."

What predicts the weather where you are?

 

[RobS]

We always look for the black bands on the "wooly worm" caterpillers. More black means more winter. I haven't noticed any yet though /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

I don't know about the nests, but the squirrels are sure working on my pecans.

Bird

 

[Harv]

Hadn't thought of it as weather forecasting, but somebody was sure trying to tell me something this last weekend.

Just so I don't lose them, I have adopted the habit of leaving my work gloves on the seat of my tractor when I'm done for the day. Being less than a weekend warrior, that means they sit there for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. When I went up to the property a couple of days ago, I started to put on my gloves, but couldn't get my fingers in due to an obstruction.

My tractor is stored inside a locked shop, but as the attached picture shows, somebody has found a way in, and has their own opinion on what work gloves are for. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Harv, I've had rats or mice do that to my gloves in the shop (that's when I know to reset the traps)/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif, but in my case, it's more likely to be an obstruction from mud daubers building in my gloves./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

And now, what are those nuts?

Bird

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>what are those nuts?[/b]

Those are acorns, Bird. The property has a heavy oak tree population, and a couple of months ago (wish I had taken pictures), the ground was literally carpeted by acorns. My daughter wanted to gather them all up, but when she filled a 10-pound bag without moving from the spot where she started, she decided they looked good on the ground. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[TerryinMD]

What kind of oaks are they?

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>What kind of oaks are they?</font color=blue>

Now that's a darn good question, Terry.

I'm pretty much just a visitor to the property at this point, so I haven't hunkered down and learned all the indigenous flora and fauna by name yet. Let me bounce the question on to RobertN, who roams the same hills. What can you tell us, Robert?

 

[Bird]

Harv, like Terry, I was wondering what kind of oak that would be. I thought those looked much like acorns, but I've never seen an acorn shaped like that. Ours aren't perfectly round, but close to it. And of course we have a lot of different sizes. I have one tree in the front yard that makes tiny little acorns and one that makes bigger ones, and I have an uncle who has a tree that produces acorns that make all of mine look tiny.

Bird

 

[TerryinMD]

I have a big ole Black Oak behind my house and its acorns range from 1/2 to nearly an inch across. This year they appear to be a little smaller due to the lack of rain. I'll try to get a picture of one later on in the season.

Terry

 

[cowboydoc]

Pitbull,
I listen to the weather and then just look outside to see what's really going to happen! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Seriously we pay pretty close attention the almanac and what the coat condition is on the animals. If they're getting really furry early in the year it's going to be a bad one. If their coat isn't as thick may not be so bad.

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>I was wondering what kind of oak that would be. I thought those looked much like acorns, but I've never seen an acorn shaped like that.</font color=blue>

Well, Bird, I guess TBN is accessible from beyond the Pearly Gates, 'cuz my dad provided the answer.

This last weekend up at the property, I was browsing through some of the many books Pop left behind, and in his "A Guide To Field Identification -- Trees of North America", he highlighted the entry for California White Oak. Like you say, there are not too many acorns shaped liked the ones I posted earlier, but the attached excerpt from the book matches up pretty good.

I guess wireless internet has a greater range than I thought. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Bird]

California White Oak, huh? No wonder I've never seen (or noticed) any of them. Only been to California three times, and that was flying into San Diego, Los Angeles, and Sacramento on business and stayed in town.

Bird