Last week I was visiting an Amish friend at his farm here in Pa. As we were talking he pointed to the black walnut trees that grow wild in our area and said "look how heavy the crop is this year", the walnuts are unusually heavily loaded this year. Then added "My father said this will be a brutal winter, we can tell by the heavy crop it will be a bad winter." Not sure how a heavy walnut crop has to do with the winter. I hope he's wrong.

The wooly bear caterpillars have a wide brown stripe this fall.  That means a milder than normal winter in New England.  Here's a link to the woolly bears. 

Some of my ash trees are loaded with seeds, and the acorns are heavy this year too.  That usually means a hard winter ahead.

So we have one tale on each side of the prediction.  Time will tell.

For my area, I do believe it will be a mild winter. The wooly worms started crossing our streets weeks ago which is a sign that winter is coming. Last winter it snowed 3 times....we usually just get one.

I haven't seen any wooly worms this year which is very unusual. Not looking forward to winter - they always make me want to move. But, hopefully, I'll have a greenhouse this year. That always makes winter much more pleasant.

Yeah Chicago is suppose to get snow and cold.

Therefore, instead of New York City enduring the worst of winter this year, it will likely be Chicago.

"The brunt of the winter season, especially when dealing with cold, will be over the north-central U.S.," stated Paul Pastelok, expert long-range meteorologist and leader of the AccuWeather.com Long-Range Forecasting Team.

Chicago, which endured a monster blizzard last winter, could be one of the hardest-hit cities in terms of both snow and cold in the winter ahead.

AccuWeather.com Long-Range Meteorologist Josh Nagelberg even went so far as to say, "People in Chicago are going to want to move after this winter."

Oh please...

Yeap Susan and Martin, plan now for winter if you can.  A greenhouse does protect from the wind and harsh weather.  I do store many of my trees inside my GH and garage over winter.  I have 2 oil filled heaters that come on if temps drop below 30 degrees.  This year, I also plan on using my storage shed too.  I know growing figs are a challenge for you guys up North.  My hat goes off to you!

I don't think plants predict the future.
seems to me the heavy walnut crop we are also having now, is more to do with LAST winter and last summer as well as this past summer than with Next year.

Grant
z5b

I agree but sometimes nature has a way of interpreting the Earth's movements to come.

I look at all these nature signs as pure fun.  They may or may not be true predictors of the weather, but they are a tradition and they're fun to pass down to the kids.

There is some good evidence that solar activity (sunspots) has an impact on how severe northern winters are. Activity has been low the last year or two, which has made for colder winters.

C'mon Sun!

How mild or how brutal my Winter will be will depend on what part of the Country I will be in that day.

Looks like I'll be South of I-10 for the most part.

I'll probably need a heat warmer for My John Deere Plow!

When we first moved to this area it was fall and all the old folks said it was going to be a bad year because there were so many acorns and the reason was the trees put on more nuts so the animals won't starve.

Of course it was a mild winter that year.

I feel for you guys up north how people can actually live up there is something I will never understand I have a hard time here in north Florida Ecuador is more my climate

I feel for you to, daygrower.  I don't know how you live with so many gators, snakes and insects.

I don't know about more acorns or black walnuts or wooly bears. What i do know is come mid december till end of feb. it's cold here in jersey.

                                                      luke

I read something years ago about the relationship between squirrel populations and acorn production of oaks. The idea was that the trees cycled their production and it resulted in the squirrel population fluctuating in response. A couple years of lean production would reduce the squirrel population enough to where they could not eat all of the acorns in a bumper year and would end up planting many more trees with their forgotten caches. Then, after the squirrels numbers increased- fewer nuts and starving squirrels. It is amazing how much control plants can have over us mammals. *I found some articles using the keywords: masting, predator satiation theory, squirrel population, oak...

Dominick- You need a dog sled team for that much snow! At least it stays frozen up there, it is nothing freeze and thaw and fresh slick ice down here.

Y'all need to move to Atlanta.  Let's make something happen ;)

Atlanta? Get real. Move to paradise!

Atlanta is paradise!  You just don't know it yet.  We have these things here called seasons.  I know this may be confusing to you, but they're amazing!  They're not too hot, they're not too cold, but they're really colorful, something to look forward to, but not drastic enough to dread, and something I know you don't experience, as a former San Diego resident ;)

I wonder why the call it HOTlanta?

For those of you that are thinking of moving to "Paradise"