The nest is high, but will the snow be?
Summer is winding down, whether we like it or not, but I know many people are looking forward to the fall.
Is there anyone looking forward to winter? Is it too soon?
I know some readers out there can’t wait to see the snow fly, and we naturally get curious about what’s ahead weather-wise as we go through fall and into winter.
There are seasonal modelling and atmospheric features that can help tell us what a season might be like.
However, long before technology, people looked toward other things around us to make projections.
The winter was no exception, from the number of berries on a tree to bands on fuzzy caterpillars and hornet’s nests used to set expectations for the season.
Karen Maclean shared this photo of a hornet’s nest in
Halifax about 15 feet above the ground.
When it comes to hornet’s nests, folklore says: “See how high the hornet’s nest, ’twill tell how high the snow will rest.” A high nest indicates a snowy winter, while a nest built low to the ground suggests little snow.
Now, you might be thinking, uh oh, a snowy winter.
But this is nothing but folklore. Some variations say a nest low to the ground indicates a snowy winter, but there is no scientific data to link a hornet’s nest height with how snowy winter might be.
In fact, male and infertile wasps, along with that year’s queen, die off later in the fall, with new queens born that year hibernating, leaving the hive completely empty.
I won’t be placing any bets because of it, but I will look back at this down the road.