Are you wondering what winter will be like this year? Lots of people look for signs in nature that can give us clues. Animals and plants sometimes do things that seem to predict if winter will be short and mild, or long and cold. People have watched these natural things happen before winter in past years and found that some animals and plants were right about what winter would be like.
The weather people can forecast with fancy technology, but they can’t say too far ahead of time what the whole winter will be. That’s why it’s good to pay attention to the little hints nature gives us. This article will talk about thirteen things in plants and animals that could mean a harsh winter is coming.
#1 Mushroom Harvest
Did you notice more mushrooms than usual last summer? Some old beliefs say that means we’re going to have a bad winter with a lot of snow. Interestingly, people also used to think in parts of Europe that finding lots of mushrooms meant war was coming.
#2 Falling Leaves
Old farmers would keep an eye on the trees and when the leaves started to fall. The later in the season the leaves hang around, the harder that winter was supposed to be. Nobody is sure why exactly, but the trees seem to want to hold onto those leaves for as long as they can. The longer they stay, the rougher the freeze is predicted to come.
#3 Cats And Rabbits Are Hungrier
If cats and rabbits eat more than usual in October and November, it means the upcoming winter will be hard and long. The thinking is that these animals are trying to build up a bigger fat supply to help them through the colder months. Now, we don’t really know for sure if that’s true – it’s just always been the assumption.
What’s interesting, though, is why cats and rabbits specifically? Why do their eating habits supposedly tell us something about the winter while other animals don’t factor into the prediction? No one really has an answer for that. But what we know is that animals have some special sense and they know what’s coming.
#4 Onion Peel
The more layers of peel an onion has, the harder the winter will be. When you think about it, it makes sense. Animals get thicker fur and more fat to stay warm in the cold months. And onions, well, they have those layers of peel to protect them too.
Some legends take it even further. They claim you can look at an onion’s peel layers and use it to guess how long winter will be. For instance, if an onion has three layers, the cold or harsh weather might last around three months. I tried this out this year in September. Most of the onions I checked, around five out of six, had five layers of peel. So if the old tale was right, we were in for a quite long winter!
#5 Anthills & Molehills
Have you ever spent time just watching the ants in an anthill during the summer months? There is an old wives’ tale that the taller the anthill, the harsher the winter will be. It is also interesting that moles also act in a similar way before a bad winter – they’ll dig tall molehills. The superstition goes that the higher the molehill, the worse the cold and snowy weather will be later in the season.
#6 August Storms And Fogs
This superstition about storms in August predicting winter is quite well-known in places that don’t get a lot of storms normally. The idea is that if it storms at least five times during the month of August, it means the coming winter will be really harsh.
Other places have a similar belief but about fog instead of storms. In those areas, if there’s a lot of fog in August, the thinking is that winter will be harsh and long-lasting that year. August is usually one of the warmer months so fog usually stands out.
#7 Spiderwebs
Spiders are really good at telling us what the weather will be like. That’s because spiders don’t control their own body temperature like humans. They have to just deal with however hot or cold it gets.
When it starts to get cold, spiders will find a warm, safe place to hide until spring. So if you see a spider building an especially strong web, it’s not just being busy or creative. That spider senses a long, tough winter coming and wants its web home to stand up to snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. Even though some people think spider behaviors are just superstitions, there’s actual science behind why they weave webs in certain ways.
#8 Abundance of Acorns
Have you noticed a lot of acorns on the ground during a walk outside lately? An abundance of acorns is a sign that we’re in for a long, tough winter. The same goes for beech fruits. If there’s more acorns than usual, the winter will be more severe. But beech fruits actually indicate how long the winter will last – a bigger crop means a longer cold season ahead.
#9 Snowy Owl Arriving Earlier Than Usual
The snowy owl is hard to see in winter because it matches the snow with its white color. But when this beautiful bird shows up early, it means just one thing – get ready for a rough winter.
For most people, seeing a snowy owl is about as likely as seeing a shooting star. It’s not impossible, but it’s not super common either. So check online to find out if they’ve arrived in your area yet.
#10 Ducks And Geese
The snowy owl shows up early to signal that winter is coming. Its arrival means it’s going to be a harsh one. Meanwhile, the geese and ducks also give us a heads up about the winter. If they leave town sooner than usual, it means they can feel winter approaching. They fly south earlier to get away from the cold weather that’s on its way.
#11 Aggressive Mice
Even mice can show that a tough winter is coming! Mice have lived alongside us for hundreds of years. It’s normal to see one every now and then throughout the year. But if the mice are acting more aggressively than usual, like chewing through your car to get in, gnawing the cables in the wall, or digging out the insides of your shoes to hide, it means winter will be long and rough.
The mice know a hard winter wouldn’t be good for them, so they get ready early. They’re trying to prepare before time runs out on them.
#12 Abundance of Rosehips
If you see a bush covered in red rosehips, it means we’re in for a cold, long winter. Rosehips form when it’s cold out and they contain a ton of vitamin C. I’d collect all those rosehips, dry them, and make rosehip tea. This tea will keep you feeling great all winter long since it’s packed with vitamin C.
#13 Rings Around The Moon
The last old wives’ tale on this list says that if you see a ring around the moon like that, it means we’re in for a rough winter. The story goes that the ring is a sign of moisture in the air and that usually translates to lots of snow and cold temperatures before spring comes around. Let’s hope the tale isn’t true this time!
