ORLANDO, Fla. – There’s a popular saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” but there’s a lot of weather folklore surrounding rain, too. We decided to take a closer look at a couple old sayings and theories that you may or may not have heard before.
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When the ants close up their hills, we will have rain in a day or two; if the ant hills are open, it will continue to be fair.
Nature has many species of animals that are pretty good at determining weather. Insects also fall into this category. Ants have a particularly interesting way of staying dry and protecting their nest before the rainy season arrives. Have you ever seen a really tall ant hill? Well, before rain arrives ants can sense very small chemical changes in the atmosphere with their antennae. These changes help them determine what they need to do to survive rain. Instinctively they start building up the walls around the nest to prevent a wash-out. They will also close up the opening to tunnels before the rain arrives. People who studied this trend noticed that when there’s a dry period, the hole stays open and when the rain is coming, the army closes the hole to prevent flooding out their home.
When tree leaves turn over, it’s a sign of rain.
While this can seem odd, this saying has some truth to it. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, leaves on trees will flip over to the silvery side ahead of rain. A deeper look into why reveals it’s not because leaves can’t handle the rain drops, but it’s because of the changing weather ahead of the showers. Before a storm rolls in, the wind and humidity levels change. We notice this as the wind picks up and the humidity levels also rise.
As trees grow they do so with the prevailing wind. Ahead of a storm, the wind can change and go against the direction the leaves have been growing, causing them to flip over. Higher humidity can also do this as it softens the leaves and cause them to turn slightly limp. The fact the leaves are more pliable in this state can cause them to flip easier in the wind too. Pine trees have a similar process that can be used to indicate rain too, but it’s not the needles, it’s the pine cones. Pine cones will tighten or close up as a natural reaction to higher humidity which can happen right before rain.
The louder the frog, the more the rain.
Ever notice how loud frogs can get when it’s about to rain? Some Native American groups believed frogs “singing” brought the rain. Is this true? We reached out to Savannah Boan, the crocodilian enrichment coordinator at Gatorland, who says frogs love it when it rains, but it’s more than a forecast.
“Mostly it’s males calling for females,” she said. “Higher temperatures in spring and summer, combined with all that moisture in the air, it’s the perfect time for frog romance.”
The fresh water is important for frog eggs, tadpoles, froglets and adult frogs to survive and thrive for the 16 of 27 species of frogs that call Central Florida home. It’s not just the opportunity to mate that makes these local hoppers happy.
“An added bonus to the rain are puddles and extra food. Raindrops come down like tiny water bombs and sometimes hit bugs along the way, creating a delicious frog buffet,” Boan said. Who doesn’t love food with a good romance, right?