WEATHER Signs of winter?

Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
SW Lower MI, tomorrow's high: 63. It'll be back up in the upper 70s - early 80s within a couple days, but still. The sumacs have already turned color and some of the maples are starting up. Saw a very fuzzy brown caterpillar this morning.
 
skwentnaflyer

skwentnaflyer

Veteran Member
AlaskaSue said:
Winter IS coming. The shorter days, the topping off of the fireweed, the fading of some of my birches (I think I see it before anyone else and they do NOT appreciate my taking notice)….and the geese are gathering. Not headed south yet, but you know they are discussing it.

We love summer up here… it takes so long to get here and it’s over before you really get a chance to get used to it. Winter is coming. It will be cold, dark, messy and bothersome. But maybe, just maybe it’ll keep some of the, um, less desirable elements out.

Fall here by late August, termination dust (first snow) on the three mountain ranges here mid-September. Freeze-up/snow (that won’t melt til spring) early October. Enjoy the sun while you can ;). Winter is coming and this one is likely to be…interesting. Pic of front yard from early April this year :)

View attachment 279860
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My sister keeps sending me these nasty pics of the snow line in Hatchers Pass..

Oh, and Pastor is sprouting a beard after being clean shaven all summer.
 
medic38572

medic38572

TB Fanatic
Have not seen wasps or hornets much this year now they are out in full patrol I have been stung twice in 2 days. They are building nests high as far as I can see I have found one nest in a tree about 10-12 foot high. Looks like a heavy snow year.
 
psychgirl

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
It’s 54’ degrees here in Indiana.
It’ll remain cloudy today from the tons of rain we received over the last two day, and may rain again later today.

Wow. This truly feels like fall here, today.

The high is only to be in the 60’s.
Warming up later this week.
 
Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Strange thing I've noticed out here, and my dad noticed as well. The walnut trees are SPARSE. There's barely a handful of nuts on the trees, and that suggests a mild winter. At this point it's hard to imagine how such a thing could be, but still.
 
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Publius

TB Fanatic
It been a little on the cools side here for the last two weeks with over night low temps dropping into the low 50s to mid 40s. For the last four days we were getting the last licks of hurricane Ian nothing but rain and over cast and I'm glad it's over time for some sunshine.
 
Shadow

Shadow

Swift, Silent,...Sleepy
A few leaves are coming down. What worries me is that the deer are pawing up the grass. I do not know what they find but this usually happens in late November. I wonder what the deer know.

Shadow
 
Fairwillows

Fairwillows

Where I am supposed to be.
Our squirrels were also crazy this summer. Lived here for 36 years....we have a decent crop of black walnuts EVERY year, and lots of squirrels. This year is the first year that the walnuts are small and scarce!!! Historically they are the size of oranges and plentiful, not this year. The squirrels kept digging up the flower pots on the porch and knocking pots over. I always put leftovers at the bottom of their tree....toast, pizza, donuts.

And the comment about "bugs on the windshield"......I hadn't thought about it, but that's absolutely correct. Typically in a normal summer we would have to clean the windshield often because of smashed bugs. Not this year!!!

Robins arrived here early in spring, and then disappeared. I saw one yesterday, typically they are hopping all over our yard.
Honey bees arrived early spring, haven't seen ANY since June. No bumble bees. Yellow jackets...yes.
Leaves have been falling off our trees all summer. Typically they start falling at the end of August, not this year.
Haven't seen one ladybug. Only saw one preying Mantis. Usually we see plenty of both of those creatures.
We did have a bumper crop of Hummingbirds, they bring much joy to me.

RT: 11:45
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foX2hOklFWI


Squirrels Fighting Over Food | Something's Wrong
 
psychgirl

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
The “fighting squirrels” thing?…you know what? For a few weeks now they’ve been doing this on our property. At least acting like they’re gonna kick each other’s butts.

To the point, where I looked up certain squirrel behaviors on the internet. They’re yelling at each other (and us!!) from tree branches constantly, lots of chatter and tail flipping goin on.

It’s Just thick with squirrels and chipmunks around here too. Big, fat, sassy ones.

Every last one has their faces stuffed with something or other for their preps, lol.
 
Redcat

Redcat

Veteran Member
Wet snow is forecast for next Tuesday in Upstate and Central NY.

I did see a couple of robins the other day. My apple tree is nearly bare of leaves and only has about 40 apples left of a bumper crop of hundreds. The groundhog that has been eating them (along with squirrels) is so fat I don't know how he fits down a hole. One extremely weird thing this year, no grapes. Not one. Both the plants are doing well, but the female didn't set a single fruit. I've never had that happen. It fits right in with my dismal garden this year.

We are winterizing the house on Saturday, taking the hoses off and put away, sweeping out the shed, covering the air conditioner and pulling the last tomatoes.

The leaves have started falling from the aspens like mad, and I told hubby don't bother raking until they all are down (and I am looking to hire some local kids to do it). He's too old now, it's back breaking. Has anyone used one of those leaf vacuums? Any recommendations?

I still haven't got the front steps fixed nor the garage cleaned out. I am hoping by the end of next week one of those is done. There is so much to do and so little time.
 
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Pinecone

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I saw one wooly bear a few days ago. The brown was about equal with the black, what ever that means.

Winter rains arrive next Friday and I'm still trying to get things buttoned up before then, inside (Fall cleaning) and outside.
 
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Publius

TB Fanatic
Fairwillows said:
Our squirrels were also crazy this summer. Lived here for 36 years....we have a decent crop of black walnuts EVERY year, and lots of squirrels. This year is the first year that the walnuts are small and scarce!!! Historically they are the size of oranges and plentiful, not this year. The squirrels kept digging up the flower pots on the porch and knocking pots over. I always put leftovers at the bottom of their tree....toast, pizza, donuts.

And the comment about "bugs on the windshield"......I hadn't thought about it, but that's absolutely correct. Typically in a normal summer we would have to clean the windshield often because of smashed bugs. Not this year!!!

Robins arrived here early in spring, and then disappeared. I saw one yesterday, typically they are hopping all over our yard.
Honey bees arrived early spring, haven't seen ANY since June. No bumble bees. Yellow jackets...yes.
Leaves have been falling off our trees all summer. Typically they start falling at the end of August, not this year.
Haven't seen one ladybug. Only saw one preying Mantis. Usually we see plenty of both of those creatures.
We did have a bumper crop of Hummingbirds, they bring much joy to me.

RT: 11:45
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foX2hOklFWI


Squirrels Fighting Over Food | Something's Wrong
Click to expand...

Yep not so many Walnuts this year and most years I pick them up and dump in the woods for the squirrels and they will find them. I also have Chinese chestnuts here and most of them are small this year too and the squirrels manage to get the nuts out of the spiny husks. Notice a lack of Acorns?
 
Fairwillows

Fairwillows

Where I am supposed to be.
Publius said:
Yep not so many Walnuts this year and most years I pick them up and dump in the woods for the squirrels and they will find them. I also have Chinese chestnuts here and most of them are small this year too and the squirrels manage to get the nuts out of the spiny husks. Notice a lack of Acorns?
Click to expand...
We have no oak trees, so I don't know about the acorn crop around here.
 
psychgirl

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Pinecone said:
I saw one wooly bear a few days ago. The brown was about equal with the black, what ever that means.

Winter rains arrive next Friday and I'm still trying to get things buttoned up before then, inside (Fall cleaning) and outside.
Click to expand...
What are your winter rains?
Is that something common yo your area? How long do those last?
Thanks!
 
AlaskaSue

AlaskaSue

North to the Future
Snow on the ground here this week, low 20s, any water outside is frozen, have to scrape the windows of frost before I drive, and pulled out the big parka. All the mountain ranges are fully snowed over (Chugach, Matanuska, Talkeetna, Kenai, Northern Range…and Sleeping Lady). Sigh, summer and autumn are done…here comes the long cold dark season. At least I buttoned up the gardens in time :)
 
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Pinecone

Has No Life - Lives on TB
psychgirl said:
What are your winter rains?
Is that something common yo your area? How long do those last?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
PNW. Usually, the rains start Oct 1st and it can rain until June. Most days in between, are rainy, showery or misty or at least dull blankets of gray clouds. Sun breaks are rare and can cause alarm. LOL We had a drier winter, very wet spring, and it rained or was cloudy/misty/showery from about April to mid-June. Almost Every. Single. Day. Yuck.

We've had 1/4 inch of rain since. :D Now we need it. LOL No moderation here in the PNW. It's what makes the western side of the Cascades bat shit crazy. (I don't know why we moved here. Sure would love to see it in my rear view mirror.)
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Tuesday was our day for the phenomena I call "hibernation day". That's the day in mid October.. always a warm, sunny fall day... when millions of butterflies, beetles, flies and ladybugs, etc enjoy one last flight in the sun, then land on buildings, trees and other places and crawl under the bark or siding for a snug place to spend the winter.

After observing this phenomena for years, I realized that it *always* proceeded our first major weather change, by 36-48 hours.

My son gave me a rather dubious look when I explained my theory on Tuesday... he and hubby were sawing logs on the sawmill, and were so inundated with insects they actually quit early.

Today, after a start in the high 60s, a major line of thunderstorms and steady rain moved in, and its now 45 degrees.

DS isn't laughing anymore.

Summerthyme
 
Blacknarwhal

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Publius said:
Yep not so many Walnuts this year and most years I pick them up and dump in the woods for the squirrels and they will find them. I also have Chinese chestnuts here and most of them are small this year too and the squirrels manage to get the nuts out of the spiny husks. Notice a lack of Acorns?
Click to expand...

I've heard several times that that suggests a mild winter. Which would be welcome, in all honesty. But still.
 
ShadowMan

ShadowMan

Designated Grumpy Old Fart
Haven't had a single acorn fall so far this season.....very weird. Last year they were bouncing off our metal roof like a machine gun.
 
psychgirl

psychgirl

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Pinecone said:
PNW. Usually, the rains start Oct 1st and it can rain until June. Most days in between, are rainy, showery or misty or at least dull blankets of gray clouds. Sun breaks are rare and can cause alarm. LOL We had a drier winter, very wet spring, and it rained or was cloudy/misty/showery from about April to mid-June. Almost Every. Single. Day. Yuck.

We've had 1/4 inch of rain since. :D Now we need it. LOL No moderation here in the PNW. It's what makes the western side of the Cascades bat shit crazy. (I don't know why we moved here. Sure would love to see it in my rear view mirror.)
Click to expand...
Ewww
I’m so sorry!
 
inskanoot

inskanoot

Veteran Member
Whenever I find an oak leaf on the lawn, I remind myself to go looking for the tree. I want to make acorn flour.
 
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