It is an oddity of nature that as the dark hours lose ground and the daylight advances each day, winter makes its strongest assault. We are caught in the tension between two forces; the mercury drops, half convincing us it will never be warm again, but the slow victory of the light tells us the plain truth. This may be midwinter, but its power is already broken. – Cathy Johnson, The Nocturnal Naturalist

Ephemeris for the Second Week of Deep Winter

In the Sky

On Jan. 11, sunrise time – which remains at its latest time of the year between Dec. 31 and Jan. 10 – finally started to occur earlier. It will continue to recede until June 8, when it reaches its earliest time, just after 5 a.m. Sunrise remains at that time until June 22, when the slide toward winter begins once again.

In addition to the new phase of sunrise on the 11th, the Mistletoe Moon became the Camel Cricket Moon on that day. Rising in the night and setting in the middle of the day, this moon passes overhead in the morning.

A few hours before sunrise, the sky appears the way it will be on the warm evenings of middle May. Arcturus is the brightest star overhead, followed by the Corona Borealis. To the east are August’s Vega and Cygnus. The only remnants of winter are Castor and Pollux setting in the northwest.

In January, Venus in Ophiuchus is still the bright Morning Star, rising in the dark before sunup. Mars in Sagittarius, following Venus may be hidden by the Sun. Jupiter in Aries is overhead early in the night, moving west toward dawn. Find Saturn in Aquarius, low in the southwest after sundown. January’s Quadrantid meteors continue to fall through Jan. 12.

Natural Calendar

Under the white veneer of Deep Winter, the natural history year quickens. Nighttime excursions of skunks, the occasional appearance of flies, an increase in opossum activity, the prophetic calls of overwintering robins, the occasional passage of bluebirds, the great gatherings of Canadian geese for pairing, and the disappearance of autumn seeds all offer counterpoint to the subdued winter silence and the days of snow. And the arbitrary counterpoint of personal observations complements the seesaw moods of separate Januarys and the different characters of the various years.

In milder winters, snowdrops are often showing by this date. Back in the first half January 1992, a friend of mine called with just such news.

“They’re not only up,” Janet said, “they’re almost budding, you know how they do, the white petals just kind of peeking out!” She had three hyacinths coming up too, each an inch tall, underneath.

How often does it happen that bulbs are emerging at this time of year in the Ohio Valley? It happened at least in 2020, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2004, 2000, 1990 and in 1989 (the temperature even approaching 60 during this week that year), and (based on December averages) in 1975, 1967, 1960, 1953, 1950, 1949 and so on during the more gentle Januarys back into history.

Weather History for the Week Ahead

Weather history for the second week of January shows rapidly increasing odds for colder weather. Chances of highs only in the 20s or teens increase to near 50 percent on the 8th, 9th, 14t, and 15th. Below-zero readings occur most often on the 9th, 11th and 16th (20 percent of the years in my record). With a general increase in the cold, skies have fewer clouds this week of the year, and the 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th bringing a 60 percent chance of sun. The cloudiest day of the week is usually the 14th, with only a 35 percent chance of clearing. Precipitation occurs two years out of three between the 12th and the 14th, with the 14th bringing snow to central Ohio more often than any other day of the entire year.

Countdown to Spring

• One week until the tufted titmouse begins its mating calls and pines start to pollinate

• Two weeks until the traditional January Thaw and the beginning of Late Winter

• Three weeks until cardinals start to sing before dawn

• Four weeks until doves join the cardinals, and maple sap flows

• Five weeks until the first red-winged blackbirds arrive in the wetlands

• Six weeks to the first snowdrop bloom and the official start of early spring

• Seven weeks to crocus season and major pussy willow emerging season

• Eight weeks to the beginning of the morning robin chorus before sunrise

• Nine weeks to daffodil time

• 10 weeks to the major wildflower bloom

In the Field and Garden

Increase energy feeds to animals (and to pets and family) in unusually severe weather. Consider forage testing if you suspect that quality is declining. Many people believe that feeding energy foods in the evening produces the best results.

Purchase grass seed for frost-seeding the lawn; get clover ready for frost-seeding the pasture; be ready to put in spring oats and barley, too. Consider a special hog pasture mix for your pigs. Plan to seed after the snow has melted but when the nights are still cold and the soil will freeze and crack, allowing the seeds to plant themselves.  

Almanack Literature

The Lone Tree

By Rick Donahoe

Yellow Springs, Ohio

I always tip my hat when I pass a lone tree in the middle of a cultivated field. A silent tribute not just to the tree, but to the farmer, to the generations of farmers that have allowed this tree to be.

If you’ve ever farmed, you know the problems a single lone tree can cause. Not only hard on crop yields, a tree in your field is hard on fieldwork. Just try sometime to plow a straight furrow with a tree in the way. And be ready when a plowshare catches on a root, and when roots and fallen branches get tangled up in your disk and harrow and other machinery.

Many times, I’ve wondered why one farmer, year after year, will put up with a tree that is costing him money long after his neighbors have cut their last trees down.

Sentimental reasons? Was the tree planted by grandparents, great-grandparents? Does it mark the spot where the old homestead once stood? Where old Shep is buried? A reminder of our once proud forests, is it a living thing too beautiful to destroy?

I keep telling myself that one of these days I’ll stop by the farmhouse and ask. Farm economics being what they are, however, there’s a better than 50-50 chance that the farmer has an off-the-farm job and no one is home.

In the meantime, to the few magnificent trees that continue to stand tall among the corn and soybeans, and to the magnificent farmers and generations of farmers who have allowed these trees to be, once again I tip my hat.

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S SCKRAMBLER

NARW WARN

RBON BORN

NORH HORN

OEURNB BOURNE

RONW WORN

RUMON MOURN

NHTRO THORN

NORT TORN

WSRNO SWORN

COSNR SCORN

THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER

LOHE

LOCA

AOLF

LEOD

MLEO

LOLP

EROL

OETSL

LTROL

LLRO

In order to estimate your SCKRAMBLER IQ, award yourself 15 points for each word unscrambled, adding a 50-point bonus for getting all of them correct. If you find a typo, add another 15 points to your IQ. Yes, you are a genius.

Poor Will’s Almanack for 2024 Is Still Available

You can still order your autographed copy of the Almanack from www.poorwillsalmanack.com. Or you can order from Amazon.

Copyright 2024 – W. L. Felker