ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Long before satellites tracked storms and meteorologists modeled jet streams, people turned to nature for weather forecasts. From the way squirrels gathered nuts to the thickness of onion skins, folklore has long promised clues to the severity of the coming winter.
Some of these traditions sound whimsical, even strange — forecasting snow with pig spleens or reading walnut shells like crystal balls. Others are rooted in close observation of animals, plants and the changing seasons.
The question remains: Can nature really predict what’s ahead? According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac and agriculture.com, there may be something to them.
Insects, spiders and creepy-crawlies
Watch the bugs, farmers say, and you’ll know what’s coming. If hornets, wasps and bees build their nests high in trees, snow may pile just as high. If ant hills rise tall in midsummer, brace for a long, hard winter…