Are Skunks a Sign That Spring Is Almost Here in New York?

I might just be the biggest fan of winter that you’ll ever meet, but even I’ve been worn down by it this year and am so ready to be done with it.

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This morning on my way into work I saw, with my very own eyes, right on the road in front of me, a skunk! I’ve never been more excited to see a skunk in all of my life.

Have you heard the tale that a skunk on the road in the middle of the night following a long and cold winter is a sure sign that spring is on the way?

Do Skunks Hibernate?

Skunks sleep away most of their winter and keep to themselves except for when the mating season begins in late winter and early spring. During that time, they’ll wander away from wherever they’ve found warmth during the most brutal of the winter months nudged awake by the scent of love, and will venture out during nighttime hours to find a mate to make babies with.

Why Are There So Many Dead Skunks on the Road?

Unfortunate little lovers, put into a trance by pheromones of potential mates, don't always take into account that wandering the middle of vehicle-traveled roads in the darkest hours of the night might not be the smartest decision and the smell their little bodies let out as their time on earth comes to an end is what blankets our senses.

How Do Female Skunks Reject Male Skunks?

Another reason that we might smell a skunk in the night air is less morbid but still gross when you think about where the smell comes from and that it is now living in your nostrils. If a lady skunk isn't impressed by the male skunk who approaches her for some cuddle time, she will release an odor from her anal glands to tell him to get lost.  Aren't you glad you know that now?

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Old Wives’ Tales About Skunks Predicts Spring Weather

I have been told by older people that their mothers and grandmothers always passed down the old belief that spring is coming when the smell of skunk fills the night air. This is because it indicates that the skunks are active and, in about six weeks, the weather will be warm enough for the mother skunk to go out with her babies.