🦁 🌿 Folklore

🌿Practical Folklore (Partially or Fully **True**):

These tales often relate the timing of nature to a practical effect, or use a common item with a scientifically valid property.

* **Plant Corn When Oak Leaves are the Size of a Squirrel's Ear:** This is a classic **phenological indicator**.
Since the timing of oak leaf growth is dependent on local soil warmth, it’s a reliable, pre-thermometer way to know the soil has reached the ideal temperature for corn to germinate and for the danger of frost to pass.

* **A Bowl of Beer Will Attract and Drown Slugs/Snails:** **True.**
The yeast and fermentation of the beer are irresistible to slugs and snails. They crawl in and drown, making it a simple, non-toxic form of pest control.

* **Nothing Grows Under a Black Walnut Tree:** **Mostly True.**
Black walnut trees produce a toxic chemical called **juglone** in their leaves, stems, and roots. This chemical is a natural herbicide that stunts or kills many nearby plants, a process known as allelopathy.

* **Coffee Grounds are Good for Acid-Loving Plants (like Azaleas/Rhododendrons):** **Partially True.**
Used coffee grounds are only slightly acidic and contain nitrogen and organic matter. While they won't drastically change the soil pH enough to turn hydrangeas blue, they make a great soil amendment or compost ingredient for acid-loving plants.