Hello fellow readers, It’s coming up on nine years of our weekly chats. Hard to imagine! One of the annual topics is what’s in store for winter in the garden of life. From weather folklore to the go-to almanacs and weather authorities, none seem to agree this year, much li

Hello Fellow Readers, While recent temperatures feel like winter, it doesn’t officially start until December 21st, which brings the topic of what to expect from Old Man Winter and the science versus folklore of winter weather predictions. The folklore of predicting winter weather Ther

Hello fellow readers, Nuts are abundant this fall which, in weather folklore, means a harsh winter is ahead. When walking around our Shagbark Hickory trees (Carya ovata) it feels as though I’m skating on marbles. The first time I was introduced to shagbark nuts was when a golf ball si

Hello fellow readers, There are oodles of folklore on winter weather predictions. Plentiful acorns, thick corn husks, squirrels gathering nuts early, crickets in the chimney, halos around the moon, early rodent infestation or bird migration, when pigs eat sticks, and my favorite – nar

Hello fellow readers, Mr. Wooly Bear Caterpillar sure predicted this winter spot-on!  Jane from Bangor asked if our single digits and snow cover will help reduce bugs.  Wouldn’t that be a well-deserved outcome after all of this brrrrr!   They say invasive insects may be more susceptib

Hello fellow readers, Winter predictions are always a popular topic this time of year. You’ve heard the folklore; the wider the middle brown section of the wooly bear caterpillar the milder the coming winter. The more frenzied the nut collecting of squirrels the harsher the wint