2 Signs Of A Good Summer To Come?

Here are 2 signs of a good summer to come – early blooming pohutukawas and heaps of heketara. Are these just myths or do they truly mean a fine summer is on the way?

Every year around November I start to crave an end to the rainy, cold days. I’m ready for a nice, warm summer where I can get outside and be active. Thus, at this time I’m on the lookout for any hopeful signs that the upcoming summer will be a good one. Here are 2 things to keep a watchful eye on during the end of winter and early spring to see if you have a good summer to look forward to. Even if they are myths, I still like to believe they’re true as it gives me something to look forward to and believe in.

2 Signs Of A Good Summer To Come?

Early Flowering Pohutukawa

According to folklore or myth, early flowering pohutukawa mean that we are due for a long, hot summer. Just in case someone outside of New Zealand is reading this, pohutukawa is the New Zealand Christmas tree. They tend to bloom anytime between November and February. Driving along some coastline with flowering pohutukawas is truly a special experience.

The folklore as I understand it, is that if there are lots of pohutukawa blooming in December that’s a good sign that a fine, long summer is on the way. Of course, that is a bit arbitrary as there are always some blooming. What constitutes a lot of flowering pohutukawa?

Project Crimson is a group working on the conservation of pohutukawa and other native trees. I came across a story in which one of their staff said that the folklore is more myth than fact. They reasoned that the flowering of a pohutukawa tree this year is more a reflection of the previous years growing season rather than the upcoming summer.

Heaps Of Heketara Blooming

Heketara, or the common tree daisy, grows throughout the North Island. This saying or tradition only holds true if you live on the North Island. Well, the saying is that if the heketara is blooming abundantly, then a fine summer is on the way.

I realise that is a bit vague and open to interpretation, but really how precise can a prediction be? A little bit of wiggle room makes it easier to believe. It seems to me that there are most definitely heaps of heketara blooming this year. I sure hope this one’s true because as I write this the rains are pouring down outside…