Cold Weather Barometer

I rarely check the current or daily weather conditions.  What I do not know, I do not ponder.  Unfortunately, today, I looked on my favorite weather site, Intellicast.  The air temperature was 8 ° and the site indicated that it felt like 8°; no wind chill…great!

Three hours later, I noticed that my birdfeeders were empty of feed, but not of birds.  Actually, I had a crowd: mourning doves, sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers and juncos; all looking for breakfast.

So, I bundled up in my winter garb and took the few seconds to fill the feeders. 

Even without the knowledge of that Internet weather report, I knew it was very cold because as I walked on the cement-like ground passing by my rhododendron shrub, I saw that the thick, leathery leaves had curled; what I call ‘sucked-up’.  This curling is normal for this plant during cold temperatures; the colder the air, the more curled the leaves become.  I have seen the leaves curled to the thickness of a lead pencil.  Thank goodness, today was not THAT cold.

 

 

Getting back into the house, I decided to check the Intellicast temperature for my location again; a balmy 16°.

Still, my rhodie’s leaves remained curled all day.

My favorite temperature gauge? You guessed it…my rhododendron shrub. And, I get my best view from the office window...inside in the warmth.