What A Weather Vane Does

After the strangeness of the last few days, I thought I would get back to something a little more serious today. As you can see by the picture, my subject for today is a little different. It's not wildlife, or plants, or trails. It's about Weather Vanes, also known as wind vanes.

I was out walking around town, and saw this weather vane on top of one of the public buildings. I never actually thought of anything like this before, but a weather vane is a part of nature, just like anything else. But what does it do? What is it's intended purpose?

The purpose of a weather vane is to tell us which direction the wind is blowing. It is designed so that the wind will push it to the direction of least resistance. Then it will point into the wind, therefore pointing in the direction the wind is coming from. In my picture you can see that the wind is coming from the west.

Let me give you a brief history of weather vanes. The oldest known weather vane was on the Tower Of The Winds in Athens, Greece. It's in the shape of the Greek god Triton. It dates back to around 48 BC. Later as the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, they began to put weather vanes on top of their churches. These weren't Tritons anymore, they were now in the form of roosters, and called weather cocks. Now you can find them on the top of churches everywhere. Today a weather vane can be in the form of anything the maker wants, and they come in all shapes and sizes.

You can find weather vanes on many different types of official building today. All you have to do is look up. In almost every case, it will be found on the highest point of the building, because that is where it works the best. You can even find them on houses and barns. Look to the rooftops around your area, and I'm sure you'll eventually see one of these.

A hunt for a weather vane should give anyone a fun, quick outing, and a great everyday adventure. Go out and try it for yourself. It doesn't take that long and you shouldn't have to go very far. Happy hunting!