Weather Folklore: What is A Dogwood Winter?
Much like a "badger summer"—a period of unseasonable warmth in the middle of autumn—periods of cold snaps during springtime have a name. Learn more about these "Little Winters."
Spring can be an unpredictable time of year, with warm, summer-like conditions one day and snow the next. It’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security that the weather will remain hospitable when—WHAM!—a freak cold snap hits and reminds you that winter only ended a few weeks ago. Here’s everything you need to know about the “dogwood winter” phenomenon …
“Little Winters” By Another Name
Much like “badger summer”—a period of unseasonable warmth in the middle of autumn—these periods of springtime cold have a name. Actually, they have several names. The “little winters” in the middle of spring are called variously Dogwood Winter, Blackberry Winter, Locust Winter, Whippoorwill Winter, Redbud Winter, and a few other regional variations.
5 Best Flowering Trees to Brighten Up Your Yard
Though predictable, the climb from cold of winter to the warmth of summer and back again is not completely smooth. Small “blips” in the overall pattern reveal noticeable fluctuations that can be observed from year to year. These blips are called singularities in weather lingo. For a singularity to be recognized, it has to occur during at least 50% of years. Badger Summer is a long-established singularity. Dogwood Winter is another.
Why Is It Called Dogwood Winter?
But why is it called Dogwood Winter, or any of those other names, for that matter? Today, we keep track of the passing of the year with a calendar. If you want to know when the last frost of the year is likely to be, you can simply look up the date in your Farmers’ Almanac (or see the average frost dates online). Our ancestors, though, didn’t have calendars to consult. Instead, they relied on the signs of nature around them.
A Dogwood Winter usually falls during late April or early May, right around the time the dogwood trees start blooming in many regions. Farmers knew it wasn’t safe to plant their crops until after the dogwoods bloomed.
Likewise, it takes a few days of cold weather to stimulate blackberry canes to start growing, which is why Blackberry Winter is another popular term for this weather phenomenon. Locust trees and redbud trees are also seen as harbingers of a spring cold spell. Which name you choose depends on which kind of tree is most abundant in your neck of the woods.
One largely forgotten term for a patch of cold during the springtime is Linsey-Woolsey Britches Winter. “Linsey-Woolsey britches” is an old nickname for long johns, usually spun from a combination of linen and wool. This end-of-spring cold snap marked the day when the Linsey-Woolsey britches could be packed away for the season.
No matter what you call it if you have a garden—or even if you just plan on packing away those winter sweaters—you’ll do well to remember that Dogwood Winter could still be waiting to catch optimistic sun lovers unprepared!
Expecting a cold snap, frost, or snow in spring? Here’s how to protect your spring plants!
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
The dogwood trees are one of my very fav trees to see in the spring but after lastnites cold temps mine are gone I don’t even see a bloom I can look out my living room see them seriously their gone
WOW where are you.Florida is burning up
I love the old almanac my dad planted by it and the old winter name’s I grew up with did control a lot of things..Like right now in N.Alabama blackberries are in full bloom.
I swear by these theories of weather predictions, when I was younger I thought my grand parents didn’t know what they were talking about, but oh was I wrong!
Maida, thank you for all of the “summers” . I love this kind if information. Also,I certainly understand about the achy joints in the cold and damp seasons. Although that pain is less, I still am so miserable in hot weather that I had rather be in the mountains. (I think)
Vicki no one talks like that…I am from Eastern KY so I know.
I grew up around the old folk of East Tennessee and was taught much about moon signs and weatherlore. I’ve heard of 6 little winters…it starts out with Apple Blossom Winter (redbud winter), Dogwood Winter, Locust Winter, Blackberry Winter, Longjohn Winter, and Whippoorwill Winter. All tending to be about a fortnight (2 weeks) apart. If apple trees bud before March 20-21, it means an early Spring. If not they bloom around the Spring Equinox. Dogwood Winter usually comes second thru third week of April (10th – 17th) and is followed by Locust Winter at April’s end (May Day or Maying time). Blackberry Winter hits around 10th-15th of May and Longjohn Winter finishes May. Before Summer Solstice you’ll hear the sad cry of the whippoorwill on a bright starry night and know that next morning the better be an extra log ready for the fire.
I never heard of winters until I came to Tennessee. My mother-law taught me a lot. red bud winter middle of March. Dog wood winter around April 20. Locust winter around first of May 1st. Blackberry winter between May 10 and 15. It’s not a good idea to plant your tomatoes until after May 15. A cool snap comes just before the blooming of the next. So when it warms up after the cool snaps, that’s when you will see the next blooming. Another thing my father-in law would never plant corn when there was a full moon, because he said it would only grow moon high, and nit produce any corn.
My dogwood trees are in full bloom and its the18th today. They bloom out last week so say around the 10-12 of April they started blooming. I believe it’s came a little earlier this Year
Ive planted my seeds and tote my plants in and out of my home, every morning if warm enuff, I bring my timey plants out into the sun, I’m in Minnesota, so I am accustom to the coolerweather.
Ruth: Now that’s a new one on me! I grew up in the Ozarks border in Western Missouri and there are a lot of those old sayings that had some truth to them! I learned about splitting oak logs with charcoal and sulfur as an explosive. Black powder is a whole lot better!
I grew up in the Appalachian Mts in far southwest VA. We always planted a huge garden, so I grew up knowing about all these winters. Especially about not planting certain crops until after May 10th. When I moved to coastal NC, people there looked at me as if I was crazy when I said, ” Oh, it’s —- winter.” Another weather phenomenon not mentioned is the “10th of May rains.” There is always a rainy spell either right before the 10th or right after the 10th. I have known of that rainy spell to last close to a week, but it is often shorter. The end of frost can depend on which side of the 10th the rains come.
Does anyone know if there’s a name for a very warm spell in late winter? It’s early March and has been in the 70’s here all week. Nice weather, but I’m worried all the trees will bloom and then get frostbite when our regular March weather comes back.
Does anyone know when “Blossom Day” is? I’ve always been told not to plant a garden on this day.
Another folk term that is used for Linen Britches is “Stump” winter. Which is known to be the last cold snap before Spring/Summer sets in. This typically is the coldest one of the “winters” – Its name is derived from the fact that this is the last winter to put the last stump on the fire.
I was raised by my grandparents in South-central Kentucky and was taught these wonderful folklores by my Grandmother aka “Mammy”. When I tell others of these winters they laugh and think I am making them up, it is nice to see others that recognize what my ancestors have taught me.
Gosh, what a lovely article. I had never heard these folk terms before. Thank you for educating me! Where are you from Jaime that you know of these terms? I’m thinking southern United States. I’m from the Niagara Peninsula in Canada, which is the Carolinian Canada zone, so we can grow the species you are talking about.
Born and raised in Santa Barbara Calif…it just needs to rain.
the secret to planting the Dogwoods is to not plant them too deep.
I’ve never heard of any of these references to winter before. In N. Central Washington State, my grandpa ALWAYS planted potatoes on Good Friday. Everything else stayed in the hot house for a few more weeks. I set out tomatoes here a couple years ago on May 7th. Three days later the frost killed them! 🙁
Don’t put tomatoes out till after May 15 th they will get frost bit
I have always been told to not plant until after Mother’s Day !
My grand parents always said never plant until after APRIL 15th. But I have seen it freeze April 20th.
I have seen cold snap on easter about ever year and seen red buds bloom and cold snap dog woods bloom in cold snap and black berrys bloom and a cold snap and seen all in bloom on certain years in the same cold snap usually it gets hot quick whin that happens also seen cool spell in June that is June drop my dad said get your corn in at first of may or before the tenth because the birds hasn’t hatched, it lets it big enough so they don’t pull it up before they hatch,
hey hey hey hey
Born n raised by grandparents in hills of Kentucky. My pa n ma and all the folks here had these winters…easter squaw happens right around easter time..redbud winter…sarvis winter..dogwood winter..blackberry winter..linen britches winter and stump winter…gardens were planted on good Friday even if it was raining cats n dogs…in the fall it would turn off cold then it would come a hot spell..that’s called Indian summet
Indiana Summer isn’t til late August
Indiana? Yep.Sheree knows what she’s talking about.
The “little winters” happens in the spring and the “little summers” happens in the fall, not summer.
Dog days are in august
In Appalachia we have first the Sarvis Winter…the Sarvis tree bears small clusters of white flowers and grows on the mountain sides and in the fall produces edible fruit like a date that can be boiled and used for Colic….then we have redbud winter, then dogwood, then blackberry winter….some claim a Locust Winter at the last.
The last little”winter” we have here in central E TN is Whippoorwill winter. It is generally warm and nice the rest of the season once you hear the Whippoorwills singing at night. That’s when I move jackets and sweaters to the back of the closet 🙂
as for the number of small winters we have here in South Central Ky, we have more like 7. The last one being stump, a few weeks after blackberry. It is said, that the old folks called it stump because the stumps where the only things left to burn on those cool mornings. I can’t remember one of them, but right off hand I can recall 6. Linen britches, Red bud, Dog wood, Locus, Black berry, ??? & Stump. As for as Frost and cold, I can remember it snowing on the first Saturday of May (Derby Day).
im from south louisiana here whoop whoop! we go threw all of the seasons weather conditions in one day around here sometimes! you can start tomatoes an other plants that cant handle frost inside. but i was always told never put them in the ground till the day after easter thats the last frost. and the 20yrs farming and ovserving the last frost is always easter sunday, it mite get chilly but never a frost. 4/25/14 8:00am here in baton rouge and its 70* degrees feelin good around here
My grandfather waited until Good Friday to plant veggies. Didn’t matter what day it fell on.
In N.E. Mn. we have no dogwood, locusts, or blackberry patches to speak of. Here, no telling when we’ll get past the fluctuating cold snaps. We just call it “spring”. Works for us!
If I was made king for a day or given such supernatural powers along those lines (genie in a bottle etc), this is one of the first things I’d change about the world. I absolutely cannot STAND spring-time cold snaps. To me, once March 20th arrives, there should not be another single solitary cold day again at all whatsoever until late October or November. The “roller coaster” weather of spring drives me crazy.
I like warm weather, but I understand Nov – Mar being cold, that’s winter after all, so I accept that. However, once spring is here, then in my mind, that means winter is over and so should every last bit of the cold weather too, ALL of it. It should stop right on the DOT when spring gets here, and never appear again. For it to do otherwise, it feels like you’re being cheated out of warm weather you have every right to expect. My friend, who likes it cold, says the same thing about freak 80 degree days in December, and I actually agree with him. Let spring be a gradual warm-up from winter (no “peaks and valleys” just a straight linear climb up), summer be hot, autumn be the reverse of spring (again, a straight linear experience, but a slope down vs a climb up), and winter be cold. Period. No exceptions. Ever.
If there wasn’t any cold snaps nothing would bloom. No dogwoods trees, no redbuds trees, the blackberries wouldn’t bloom, early flowers like Easter flowers and tulips wouldn’t either my point is we have to have cold snaps so things can bloom out and everything becomes green and to me it’s beautiful when everything is in bloom
my mom who grew up in wears valley when there was just a dirt road running thru , always told me, what ever you wear after the 1st of may won’t hurt you, I guess that was after the long johns were put away
Can any one tell me what all the names are like Dog wood winter, Indian summer, etc.? Thanks
…the legend of the dogwood goes something like this:….The blooms have 4 petals, forming a cross…..on the tip of the petals are brownish marks that represent the wounds that our SAVIOR received before dying on the cross……the red berries that form in the center represent HIS blood and the berries are the seeds that reproduce and form more dogwoods..(similar to reproducing more Christians)……the legend says the dogwood tree used to be large, but after the crucifixion, the tree never grew large enough to be used as a cross………………here in TN we have so many dogwood trees in the wild that it looks like snow when they are in bloom……
Yes very true and they are so beautiful to when in bloom but it’s sad that Jesus was hung on a Dogwood tree and crucified for it to be such a beautiful little tree.
I think there needs to be alot more added to it, since winter just kepts lingering on & on, like dandelion winter ,moss winter, grass winter, and then just plain ol’ it’s just stubborn winter.
Linsey-Woolsey britches winter
Anyone know the name of the old short winter that is like britches winter? It may also have the word Virginia in it. I cannot recall.
MY grandfather told me 40 yrs ago that is was redbud, dogwood blackberry, then locust was the last little winter. locust bloom first or second week of may. after the 10th of may it is safe to plant anything that frost might hurt. Ihave never heard of strawberry winter, but i like it.
Here in Ohio I have always been told that it goes in three’s. First Dogwood winter, Then redbud winter and then finally blackberry Winter which usually happens around Mother’s Day. Never put your tomato’s in the ground untill after Mother’s day.
When I was growing up my dad would never take down the coal stove for the summer until after Blackberry winter which was always in May in Wirt Co WV
My great uncle always said to wait til the last full moon to plant crops. probally in May or early June. Many years ago he planted his garden too early and had to plant a second time. I live in Loudon N.H. which is sometimes cold. I have never heard of the dogwood. I guess I will have to buy one and let it tell me when to plant.
The last cold snap is called stump winter. You have used all your wood & it turns off cold so you get part of a old stump to burn…
I never heard of “Dogwood Winter” before but I’m familiar with Blackberry Winter and also “Strawberry Winter” which is what I call cool snaps that come around Mid-May in this area.
Agreed about winters & names – here in North Georgia – we also have the Easter Cold Snap…and no matter when Easter comes – we have that cold snap – isn’t God cool! Right now, the dogwood blooms have been long gone and this week May 4, 2011 – we are finishing up with Blackberry Winter – the hot summer is coming! So grateful for the coolness for our neighbors in Ringgold & surrounding areas that are working hard to get some kind of normalcy in their lives since the tornadoes came thru.
well agree with mark all the way do we know what the leaves on the dogwoods mean i was allways told that what kind of wood that they sacrificed our savior on am i right , the red on the leaves repasents blood am i right.
No. The dogwood tree is native to the US and does not grow in the middle east. The legend of the dogwood tree originated in the early 1900’s.
It has been to my knowledge that the Dogwood requires a lot of care.
I agree with most of what you say in the article, but typically, here in Western Kentucky, these cold snaps are named for whatever happens to be in bloom: Dogwood Winter – cold snap while dogwoods blooms; Blackberry Winter while Blackberries are in bloom, and so forth and so on. Typically, all “winters” – cold snaps names end with the first day of Summer. At least that is the way I understand it.
Hi Mark,
Yes, that’s the idea. The “winter” is named for whatever is in bloom.
You are right on with this. Farmers Almanac called the last frost date for our area as 4/26/11. Today as I pulled down the driveway I gladly took notice of the blooming dogwoods that were not there on yesterdays ride down. Beauty at it’s finest.