The weather over the past week has many of us thinking that spring may be upon us, but meteorologists and old timers are warning us not to spring into spring just yet.
Fake Spring
The warm weather this past weekend has many of us looking longingly towards the Home Depot Garden Center, but before you go out and buy a bunch of plants, hang tight. We may not be finished with winter yet. Meteorologists use high tech methods to determine what the weather will do, but old-timers in the Lone Star State have been using these 8 signs to determine if the “killing frost” is finally behind us.
Trust the Trees
Some trees seem to know when the frigid temps are behind us. This does NOT include my Asian pear trees. I guess it should be a sign that there WILL be another freeze if they bud out.
1. “The old mesquites ain’t out.” This is the gold standard of Texas weather lore. It’s said that an old mesquite tree is “the smartest tree in Texas” and will not bud until the danger of a hard freeze is 100% gone. If the mesquites are bare, keep your coat handy.
2. “Pecan trees don’t bud until the last freeze is over.” Similar to the mesquite, pecans are notoriously late bloomers. Many ranchers won’t touch their gardens until they see the first green tips on the pecan branches.
3. “Redbuds are a sign, but not a promise.” Redbuds are like my Asian Pear trees. They love to bud out at the first sign of warm weather, but as the saying goes, they often “get their heads bit off” by a late March frost.
Birds and Bugs
4. “The first Scissortail flycatcher means spring is here to stay.” Seeing these long-tailed birds returning from their winter migration is considered a “sure sign” of Spring.
5. “Ants open their hills when the fair weather is here.” Old-timers say if the ant mounds are open and active, they know the ground won’t be freezing again anytime soon. If they are plugged up, a “Blue Norther” is coming.
Check the Weather
6. “Thunder in February, frost in March.” This is a classic Texas warning. If you hear a thunderstorm in February, the lore says you will have a freeze on that exact same date in March. The only problem is that I cannot remember yesterday, much less hearing thunder a month ago.
7. “April never kills its own young.” This saying implies that once you reach April, even if there is a light frost, it won’t be a deep freeze that kills the new spring growth.
8. “Watch out for the ‘Little Winters’.” Even if it feels like spring, Texans wait for the “Little Winters” to pass:Redbud Winter: (Late March)Dogwood Winter: (Early April)Blackberry Winter: (Early May) Only after “Blackberry Winter” is the threat of cold truly dead.
15 Things that Make Texans Proud to Be from Texas
Here are 15 reasons we are proud to call Texas home.
Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins
Everything’s Bigger in Texas: Real-Life Examples That Prove It
Real examples that prove “Everything’s Bigger in Texas.”
Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins
Comments are closed.