When I was in college majoring in meteorology (just in case you didn’t know), one of my professors was working on his paper about the relationship between folklore and weather patterns. One of the subjects he was investigating was the size of the tails of small animals we commonly saw.
When squirrels’ tails look skinny during fall, for example, the coming winter will be mild. But when those little critters have bushy hairy tails in fall, it will be followed by a bitter cold winter.
I have been puzzled over the squirrels all fall long this year as I see both – some have thin tails while others have halfway bushy tails. They are still the same way around me now in November. So, what should we expect for the winter 2022 – 2023? How do they look in your area? Let me know!
(The original appeared in Thorpe Vineyard November 2022 Newsletter.)
Fumie's Sphere 
Tails have been pretty bushy but the squirrels are not large. They are very persistent and have broken into my suet feeders several times. For several years we had an almost albino squirrel but have not seen it in some time so I assume it was eaten by a cat or came to a natural end. Enjoying birdwatching.
Got the wine you shipped from my niece. Thank you.
Looking forward to spring. Winter is not a favorite. Congratulations on 35 years. I look forward to visiting you later in the year.
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It seems I’m the only one who’s been seeing skinny tails on squirrels around here. There are gray, black, and red. Black squirrels are still sort of new to me – my friends told me that they are basically the same as grays, just the fur looks blackish. After the arctic blast tomorrow, it will turn mild again. I’m not sure how the rest of the winter will be.
You’re welcome. It was nice to see an order from your niece again. And thank you – I look forward to your visit. Hoping to have more products available this year.
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The red squirrels have really been chomping the pine cones around here. I see large piles pine cone “cobs”? all over under our evergreens and in the park. No black squirrels near me. But if I were to head S to Letchworth I could find them. Looking forward to the new offerings you devise.
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Reds are often trouble makers. Black squirrels have been advancing north. My friends used to see them in PA, then they started to appear around their house south of Lyons several years ago. They’ve been around here for the last few years. I’d expect that you’ll find them sooner or later at your location. 🙂
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