Winter’s final week: The sun enters Pisces
of the year, the weekly chances for an afternoon in the 60s swell from last week’s one in ten to five in ten. Although below-zero temperatures can occur at this time of the year, February’s third quarter is the second-last period of Early Spring in which such cold might be expected (March’s first week is the very last). The average amount of snowfall for this week is ordinarily the lowest of the month in Clark County. The passage ofth e February 20 cold front marks the end of the snowiest part of the year.
T heN atural Calendar: This week of February brings more substance to the natural history of the year, an increase in the number of flower, foliage, insect and b irds ightings and bird calls, a weightier accumulation of chan gethan thatofl ast week. Such an accumulation contributes a little more to the sea sonalheritageofeach region, adds to the composite of time that helps to define the cycles of passage. What happens along the 40th Parallel in Springfield is repeated in countless other locations clustered along that marker, revealing what has already happened in Tennessee, and forecasting the futu reforWi sconsin.
Fish, Game, Livestock and Birds: Fish maybem ost active with the Moon overhead in the late morning and early afternoon, especially when the February cold front approaches. At night, skunks wander lawns and streets looking for food and mates. By about the tenth week of t heyear,t heir breeding cycle comes to a close, their odor ceding to visual and auditory markers of the new season: the robin chorus before dawn, emerging pussy willow s,r ising daffodil spears, blooming snowdrops and aconites. Red and silver maples blossom, introducing welcome color to the Early Spring landscape, as well as offering pollen for early bees.
In the Field and Gar- den: Throughout the county, the ground temperature is moving above 35 degrees. That means the pastures are starting to grow again.
Under the dark Moon, seed bedding plants and early vegetables. Plant onions in the ground as soon as the soil is properly prepared.
Marketing Notes: February 27 is Dominican Republic Independence Day:Areasthathav e a siz- able population of residents from the Dominica nR epublic may show an increase in s alesof lambs and kids tha t weigh between 20 to 35 pounds.
Th e Almanack Horoscope: During t hisnew Moon period, be mindful of mood changes. Often pulse and blood pressure rise at new Moon time. People and animals may bleed more easily. An uptick in violence frequently occurs, and psychic phenomena are said to increase. A few studies suggest that more males born after full Moon, more females after new Moon
Journal
February 21, 2014: After a night of rain, most of the snow and ice has melted, and the yard is flooded. Skunk odor again around the house. Snowdrops have grown some under the snow, and tips of daffodils and crocus are just barely visible. The barometer just started to rise at dawn, and the wind shifted to the west. I heard no birds at first this morni ng,even though Bella a ndIcame upon two skunks in the Phillips Street alley at 7:00. Ten minutes later, acar dinal was chipping and the song sparrow sang intermittently. Crows didn’t call until 7:15.Asthe s nowm elted in the circle garden today, I found that daffodil foliage had pushed up even while the snow cover remaine dfor weeks. The same thing in the front garden: crocus and snowdrops were not inhibited by the cold.
February 22, 2016: A soft morn ing,45degrees and cloudy, windless. At a little after 9:00, Jonatha sent a ph otoo f a hon- eybee on an aconite, and when I was talking to Ann on the front porch, we watched a honeybee in one of my violet crocuses. Then at 11:00, Ed called to sa yheha d honeybees in his “thousands of snowdrops” and aconites and crocuses. And when Jill and I walked after lunch, we saw more clumps of violet crocuses, more honeybees! Poor Will’s Almanack for 2018 is still available. Order yours from Amazon, or, for an
d order from www.poorwillsalmanack. com. also purchase Bill Felker’s new book of essays,“Home the Prime Meridian,” from those websites.