Winter and the Persimmon Seed

As the Fall weather hits, how far behind is winter? We are seeing snow in Colorado to Montana and temperatures as cold as 18 degrees in Idaho and not much warmer in Northern Texas.  One of the great predictors of the upcoming winter is the persimmon seed. In a supermarket near you, you should find a persimmon fruit. If you cut it open, a seed may be another clue to winter weather. According to old timers, persimmon seeds can be used to predict the severity of winter weather. When you cut the seed into two pieces, the persimmon seed will display one of three symbols. A knife shape will indicate a cold icy winter (wind cuts through you like a knife). A fork shape indicates a mild winter. A spoon shape stands for a shovel to dig out all the snow.

Here is my traditional listing of the 20 Signs of a hard winter as prepared by longtime friend Dick Goddard of WJKW-TV in Cleveland, Ohio.

20 SIGNS OF A HARD WINTER

• Thicker than normal corn husks
• Woodpeckers sharing a tree
• Early arrival of the Snowy owl
• Early departure of geese and ducks
• Early migration of the Monarch butterfly
• Thick hair on the nape (back) of the cow’s neck
• Heavy and numerous fogs during August
• Raccoons with thick tails and bright bands
• Mice eating ravenously into the home
• Early arrival of crickets on the hearth
• Spiders spinning larger than usual webs and entering the house in great numbers
• Pigs gathering sticks
• Insects marching a bee line rather than meandering
• Early seclusion of bees within the hive
• Unusual abundance of acorns
• Muskrats burrowing holes high on the river hank
• “See how high the hornet’s nest, ‘twill tell how high the snow will rest”
• Narrow orange band in the middle of the Woollybear caterpillar warns of heavy snow; fat and fuzzy caterpillars presage bitter cold
• The squirrel gathers nuts early to fortify against a hard winter
• Frequent halos or rings around sun or moon forecast numerous snow falls.

What are your observations about winter according to the 20 Signs??  Let us know.