i, um…

Think it’s a bunch of hooha and animal cruelty? Well yeah, me too mostly. It’s not a solid loaf of bologna though, there’s a little bit of sense floating around in there.

For one, today is the middle of winter, halfway between the solstices. So naturally, we’re gonna start thinking about the next solstice, which is Spring. How did the ancients look for spring? By using phenology. Well, they didn’t call it that, but they DID rely on animals and plants and weathers to give them little signs. Like, if there are daisies growing, it’s not Winter anymore. If it’s super hot out, it’s not Winter anymore. If hibernating animals come out of their burrows and start foraging, not Winter anymore. Makes sense, right? The shadow part though, complete boohonkey. The timing of it too, really. Groundhogs don’t really wake up for another month or so.

Back to this phenology thing. I’ve written about it before, but it was my second post and I’m pretty sure I was my only reader at that point. Anyway, besides justifying the annual molestation of poor Punxsutawney Phil, it’s super useful if you’re a gardener. Because weather patterns change from year to year, it’s much more accurate and location-relevant than calendars, and developing your own little set of proverbs is much easier than trying to remember 50 different dates and temperatures, not to mention adjusting them to your area. It’s fully science-based too, I promise. Aldo Leopold (one of my favorite nerdypants heroes) considered phenology a window into the inner workings of the earth. So there.

Some of the telltales I use:

• When you see your first dandelion, it’s time to plant potatoes.
• When your lilacs grow leaves, it’s time to plant beets, carrots, lettuce, and spinach
• When your lilacs begin to bloom, crab grass will germinate, which means the soil is 55 degrees at 4″ depth
• When your lilacs are in full bloom, it’s time to plant cucumbers, beans, and squash
• When your lily of the valley and dogwood are in full bloom, and your daylilies start to bloom, it’s time to plant tomatoes and peppers
• When your bearded irises bloom it’s time to transplant your eggplant, melon, and peppers
• When the moon is waning, trees are easier to fell. Has something to do with vascular cycles, I dunno…
• When you see new growth on green ash, grapes and bur oaks it is safe to plant tender vines, annuals and perennials.
• When the apple blossoms start to fall off the trees, and oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear, it’s time to plant corn
• When maple leaves begin to unfurl, plant your perennials
• Plant above ground crops on a waxing moon, and below ground crops on a waning moon
• When you see the underside of maple leaves, a storm is coming. My grammie says this all the time, and it’s actually true. It’s a low pressure thing, I guess.
• When the maple leaves are full size, plant your morning glory seeds
• If apple trees bloom in April the crop will be plentiful- if they bloom in May the crop will be poor
• When peach and pear trees are in full bloom, plant your hardy crops
• When aspen and chokeberry trees have quarter-sized leaves, plant pansies and snapdragons
• When morning glory vines start to climb, watch out for Japanese beetles
• When crab apples start to bloom, watch out for tent caterpillars
• When you see tons o’ slugs, it’s about to rain
• Expect rain when dogs chew on grass, sheep turn face first into the wind, oxen sniff the air, and hogs are restless
• When the shadbush flowers, watch out for gypsy moth catarpillars
• When foxglove flowers open, watch out for Mexican bean beetles
• When the common purple lilac blooms, grasshopper eggs are hatching
• When wasps nest in exposed places, start to conserve water
• When hornets build nests near the ground a harsh winter is expected
• When the chicory flowers, the squash vine borer eggs are laid, so wait another 2 and a half weeks to remove your row covers

Some old-timey proverbs:
“When bees to distance wing their flight,
Days are warm and skies are bright.
But when the flight ends near their home,
Stormy weather is sure to come.”

“When elm leaves are as big as a shilling,
Plant kidney beans, if to plant ‘em you’re willing.
When elm leaves are big as a penny,
You must plant kidney beans if you mean to have any.”

“When the sloe tree is white as a sheet,
sow your barley whether it be dry or wet”

Filed under: animals, garden, green stuff on February 2nd, 2009