Natural weather predictors...

[honeybee]

There's a saying that goes... 'Ash before Oak, expect a soak. Oak before Ash, expect a splash'

Here in glos'shire it's definitely oak before ash, (the oak's have been in leaf a while and the ash isn't out yet) as the met office predict a hot summer.

What are your oak and ash doing and do you have any other ways of predicting the weather?

[canonman]

Hi Honeybee
Sorry did not notice which was first out, just glad to see all the leaves on the trees and all the different shades of green.
Just hope it was the Oak
Mick

[mrs fish]

Yes the oaks are out here more than the ash.

Maybe the ash needed more of a rest as it was very abundant with its seeds last year

I am quite looking forward to a repeat of last year so hope the met office is right

[buzfuz8149]

Not a sign of bud burst on the Ash trees round here, I like to record and photograph them, the Oak bud burst was 18 April.

As for predicting weather my grandfather always said if the swallows are feeding high expect sunshine if they are feeding low, rain. He must have only predicted it when the swallow was here.

Carol.

[jennyb]

Definitely oak before ash here. In fact the ash were so late that I thought they were dead.

Interesting saying. I had not heard it before, but I would be very happy to have another summer like last year!

Jenny

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by honeybee

There's a saying that goes... 'Ash before Oak, expect a soak. Oak before Ash, expect a splash'

Umm. I have never seen the ash out before the oak in Somerset. My parents have lived in the same house since 1963 and the ash at the back of their garden has never been out before the oaks each side of it. Often it hardly has a leaf even in mid May. I challenge anyone to find a relaible report of the "ash before the oak" anywhere!

There that's done it, the next twenty posts will all come with photographic proof of ash before oak

Andy

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by AndyC

Umm. I have never seen the ash out before the oak in Somerset. My parents have lived in the same house since 1963 and the ash at the back of their garden has never been out before the oaks each side of it. Often it hardly has a leaf even in mid May. I challenge anyone to find a relaible report of the "ash before the oak" anywhere!

There that's done it, the next twenty posts will all come with photographic proof of ash before oak

Andy

Haha! Well that's still interesting..however the ash here is barely out at all yet while the oak was quite early. Are the ash out in somerset?

[AndyC]

The ash in Somerset is much the same, some of the smaller trees have greened up this week but all the bigger ones are only just starting. Is there any plant that isn't early this year. The hawthorns are in flower, what ever happened to May blossom?

Getting back to natural weather predictors. Blackthorne winter, when the blackthorne flowers we always get a miserable cold snap a few days later, we we always did until this year

Andy

[jennyb]

Originally Posted by AndyC

Umm. I have never seen the ash out before the oak in Somerset. My parents have lived in the same house since 1963 and the ash at the back of their garden has never been out before the oaks each side of it. Often it hardly has a leaf even in mid May. I challenge anyone to find a relaible report of the "ash before the oak" anywhere!

There that's done it, the next twenty posts will all come with photographic proof of ash before oak

Andy

I cannot recall when the oak and the ash normally come into leaf, but I have notcied that the ash is ALWAYS the first to lose its leaves in autumn (or even late summer). If it is true that the ash is normally later than the oak coming into leaf, then its season is remarkably short. We regularly have oak leaves still on the tree in December (albeit brown). The ash sometimes starts to lose its leaves in late August - failing that, September. I wonder why its season is so short?

On another note - we had a saying (don't know if it is only a Geordie saying, or not)...
"Ne'er cast a clout till (the) May is out"

I never knew whether this meant until the May (ie; hawthorn blossom) is out or until May (the month) is out.

In case it is a Geordie saying, I will translate "Ne'er cast a clout" means roughly "don't put away your winter clothes".

Jenny

[kaz]

If all the cows in a field are lying down it is supposed to mean that rain is on the way.