Quick, think of an animal that can predict the weather! If you thought of a groundhog, chances are you’re not alone. Here in North America, Groundhog Day is a big deal. But there are plenty of other animal forecasters out there, too. Crickets, birds, fish, cows, deer, squirrels, caterpillars, and even dogs and cats have all been at the center of various weather lore sayings.
But what about rabbits? When Easter rolls around, bunnies abound. And we know Easter means spring. In fact, the whole reason we associate Easter with bunnies is because, to the ancient Germanic people who once inhabited Europe, rabbits were symbolic of spring and new life.
Here are a few weather sayings surrounding rabbits:
• When hares seek shelter in lowlands, snow is on the way.
• Rabbits go to the woods before a severe storm.
• Note the day of the month when the first snow of the year that’s deep enough to track a rabbit falls. This will tell you how many deep snows will fall that season.
• When rabbits are fat in October, winter will be long and cold.
And, for good measure, here are a few bits of Easter weather lore:
• A green Christmas means a white Easter.
• If it rains on Easter, it will rain for the next seven Sundays.
We’re calling for rain in many locations of Easter Sunday. Be sure to check our long-range forecast to see if you’ll be getting seven Sundays of rain!
Jaime McLeod is the Web Content Editor for the Farmers' Almanac. She is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, loves eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.
4 comments
Joyce, There are several nontoxic natural rabbit repellant solutions and sprays you can put around your garden. I personally have no experience with rabbits, but I know ammonia-soaked rags keep groundhogs away. They think it’s a predator’s urine. It’s worth a try for rabbits.
Is their any thing out there that will keep rabbits out of your garden other than chicken wire .We have a large garden and to put chicken wire around it would be quite expensive.We live in town and cant shoot a gun. So Help We need a natural remedy.
I learn something new everyday. I can tell the weather by the way my cat acts!
thanks for such a cute story.
Leave a Comment