Weather Folklore: What is A Dogwood Winter?
Much like a "badger summer"—a period of unseasonable warmth in the middle of autumn—periods of cold snaps during springtime have a name. Learn more about these "Little Winters."
Spring can be an unpredictable time of year, with warm, summer-like conditions one day and snow the next. It’s easy to get lulled into a false sense of security that the weather will remain hospitable when—WHAM!—a freak cold snap hits and reminds you that winter only ended a few weeks ago. Here’s everything you need to know about the “dogwood winter” phenomenon …
“Little Winters” By Another Name
Much like “badger summer”—a period of unseasonable warmth in the middle of autumn—these periods of springtime cold have a name. Actually, they have several names. The “little winters” in the middle of spring are called variously Dogwood Winter, Blackberry Winter, Locust Winter, Whippoorwill Winter, Redbud Winter, and a few other regional variations.
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Though predictable, the climb from cold of winter to the warmth of summer and back again is not completely smooth. Small “blips” in the overall pattern reveal noticeable fluctuations that can be observed from year to year. These blips are called singularities in weather lingo. For a singularity to be recognized, it has to occur during at least 50% of years. Badger Summer is a long-established singularity. Dogwood Winter is another.
Why Is It Called Dogwood Winter?
But why is it called Dogwood Winter, or any of those other names, for that matter? Today, we keep track of the passing of the year with a calendar. If you want to know when the last frost of the year is likely to be, you can simply look up the date in your Farmers’ Almanac (or see the average frost dates online). Our ancestors, though, didn’t have calendars to consult. Instead, they relied on the signs of nature around them.
A Dogwood Winter usually falls during late April or early May, right around the time the dogwood trees start blooming in many regions. Farmers knew it wasn’t safe to plant their crops until after the dogwoods bloomed.
Farmers knew it wasn’t safe to plant their crops until after the dogwoods bloomed.
Likewise, it takes a few days of cold weather to stimulate blackberry canes to start growing, which is why Blackberry Winter is another popular term for this weather phenomenon. Locust trees and redbud trees are also seen as harbingers of a spring cold spell. Which name you choose depends on which kind of tree is most abundant in your neck of the woods.
One largely forgotten term for a patch of cold during the springtime is Linsey-Woolsey Britches Winter. “Linsey-Woolsey britches” is an old nickname for long johns, usually spun from a combination of linen and wool. This end-of-spring cold snap marked the day when the Linsey-Woolsey britches could be packed away for the season.
No matter what you call it if you have a garden—or even if you just plan on packing away those winter sweaters—you’ll do well to remember that Dogwood Winter could still be waiting to catch optimistic sun lovers unprepared!
Expecting a cold snap, frost, or snow in spring? Here’s how to protect your spring plants!
Jaime McLeod
Jaime McLeod is a longtime journalist who has written for a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including MTV.com. She enjoys the outdoors, growing and eating organic food, and is interested in all aspects of natural wellness.
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The dogwood trees are one of my very fav trees to see in the spring but after lastnites cold temps mine are gone I don’t even see a bloom I can look out my living room see them seriously their gone
WOW where are you.Florida is burning up
I love the old almanac my dad planted by it and the old winter name’s I grew up with did control a lot of things..Like right now in N.Alabama blackberries are in full bloom.
I swear by these theories of weather predictions, when I was younger I thought my grand parents didn’t know what they were talking about, but oh was I wrong!
Maida, thank you for all of the “summers” . I love this kind if information. Also,I certainly understand about the achy joints in the cold and damp seasons. Although that pain is less, I still am so miserable in hot weather that I had rather be in the mountains. (I think)
Vicki no one talks like that…I am from Eastern KY so I know.
I grew up around the old folk of East Tennessee and was taught much about moon signs and weatherlore. I’ve heard of 6 little winters…it starts out with Apple Blossom Winter (redbud winter), Dogwood Winter, Locust Winter, Blackberry Winter, Longjohn Winter, and Whippoorwill Winter. All tending to be about a fortnight (2 weeks) apart. If apple trees bud before March 20-21, it means an early Spring. If not they bloom around the Spring Equinox. Dogwood Winter usually comes second thru third week of April (10th – 17th) and is followed by Locust Winter at April’s end (May Day or Maying time). Blackberry Winter hits around 10th-15th of May and Longjohn Winter finishes May. Before Summer Solstice you’ll hear the sad cry of the whippoorwill on a bright starry night and know that next morning the better be an extra log ready for the fire.
I never heard of winters until I came to Tennessee. My mother-law taught me a lot. red bud winter middle of March. Dog wood winter around April 20. Locust winter around first of May 1st. Blackberry winter between May 10 and 15. It’s not a good idea to plant your tomatoes until after May 15. A cool snap comes just before the blooming of the next. So when it warms up after the cool snaps, that’s when you will see the next blooming. Another thing my father-in law would never plant corn when there was a full moon, because he said it would only grow moon high, and nit produce any corn.
My dogwood trees are in full bloom and its the18th today. They bloom out last week so say around the 10-12 of April they started blooming. I believe it’s came a little earlier this Year
Ive planted my seeds and tote my plants in and out of my home, every morning if warm enuff, I bring my timey plants out into the sun, I’m in Minnesota, so I am accustom to the coolerweather.
Ruth: Now that’s a new one on me! I grew up in the Ozarks border in Western Missouri and there are a lot of those old sayings that had some truth to them! I learned about splitting oak logs with charcoal and sulfur as an explosive. Black powder is a whole lot better!
I grew up in the Appalachian Mts in far southwest VA. We always planted a huge garden, so I grew up knowing about all these winters. Especially about not planting certain crops until after May 10th. When I moved to coastal NC, people there looked at me as if I was crazy when I said, ” Oh, it’s —- winter.” Another weather phenomenon not mentioned is the “10th of May rains.” There is always a rainy spell either right before the 10th or right after the 10th. I have known of that rainy spell to last close to a week, but it is often shorter. The end of frost can depend on which side of the 10th the rains come.
Does anyone know if there’s a name for a very warm spell in late winter? It’s early March and has been in the 70’s here all week. Nice weather, but I’m worried all the trees will bloom and then get frostbite when our regular March weather comes back.
Yeah its called spring
Does anyone know when “Blossom Day” is? I’ve always been told not to plant a garden on this day.
Another folk term that is used for Linen Britches is “Stump” winter. Which is known to be the last cold snap before Spring/Summer sets in. This typically is the coldest one of the “winters” – Its name is derived from the fact that this is the last winter to put the last stump on the fire.
I was raised by my grandparents in South-central Kentucky and was taught these wonderful folklores by my Grandmother aka “Mammy”. When I tell others of these winters they laugh and think I am making them up, it is nice to see others that recognize what my ancestors have taught me.