WESTERN KY (2/4/12) – Local outdoorsmen are beginning to second-guess the opinion of Punxsutawney Phil, the famed Groundhog Day star, in his visual announcement that we will be experiencing 6 more weeks of winter weather.

Though Phil has a fairly decent reputation accurately predicting the six-week extension of winter, there are a few other spokesmen for Mother Nature that are rising in argument with the legendary groundhogs. Let’s take a look at the facts…

Facts Backing up Phil – He saw his shadow.

Facts that the rest of nature has brought forth in the past week...

First, crickets are chirping in the woods in the mornings and the evenings. Crickets do not come out until they are fairly certain that Spring has sprung.

Next, snapping turtles are abounding in rivers, lakes and streams across Western Kentucky. Again, these don’t come out of hibernation until spring is certain.

Moving on, the Easter flowers are already blooming, another spring mainstay.

Finally, Frogs are out in all local water, hopping along banks and across roadways. Frogs do not come out until it’s a safe bet that winter has passed.

If any one of these facts are present, it could be a fifty-fifty bet. However, all of this evidence produced by nature happening at once is a fairly certain announcement that winter has passed.  All local natives are aware that Kentucky has one of the most unpredictable weather reputations in the United States. However, nature is overall the deciding announcer of current conditions. With a little luck, the colder days of winter have come and gone once again.

J.L. Graham
SurfKY News

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