
The Natural Thermometer Hiding in Your New York Backyard
Temperatures have been frigid in recent weeks in New York, and while all you have to do is take one look at your phone to know exactly how freezing it is, it's not nearly as fun as using a natural thermometer that's been hiding in plain sight this whole time.
One of the best bonuses of being surrounded by nature is the myriad ways the plants and animals can be helpful to our everyday life. Just like some plants can be pest-repellants, others can help tell the temperature.
Using Nature To Tell the Temperature
The first time I learned about using nature as a thermometer was when I discovered that the chirps of crickets can accurately gauge how cold it was ("count the number of chirps per 15 seconds, add 40, and that will give you the temperature in Fahrenheit"). No crickets? No problem...
Rhododendrons Can Tell You How Cold It Is Outside
Thermonasty is a process in some native plants that make them react to certain temperatures. For the rhododendron, which can be found in many New York gardens, that means reacting specifically to cold weather (below).
According to experts, rhododendron leaves will look "normal" at temperatures above 40 degrees, but leaves will begin to dangle and curl at freezing temperatures. As the thermometer drops below 20 degrees, these leaves will almost completely curl in on themselves.

The reasoning behind the curling is somewhat counterintuitive, as the current belief is that the curled leaves are meant to avoid as much direct sunlight as possible (versus avoiding exposure to cold temperatures). That being said, the next time you want to know what the temperature is, check your rhododendron! Just don't let your dog near them (below).
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