April 16-22, 2012 Surely there is a great Word being put together here. I begin to hear it gather in the opening of the flowers and the leafing-out of the trees, in the growth of bird nests in the crotches of the branches, in the settling of the dead leaves into the ground, in the whittling of beetle and grub, in my thoughts, moving in the hill’s flesh. -Wendell Berry
Lunar phase and lore Waning through its fourth quarter throughout April’s third week, the Cabbage Butterfly Moon becomes the Frog and Toad Mating Moon on April 21 at 2:18 a.m.
Rising after midnight and setting in the afternoon, this new moon is overhead in the morning, making breakfast through lunchtime the most favorable part of the day for fishing and the least promising time for staying on your diet – especially as the barometer falls in advance of cool fronts due to arrive around April 16 and 21.
Planting of root crops, flowers and vegetables that will produce their fruit above the ground is recommended next week, particularly if you seed or set sprouts in Pisces April 16-18 and in Taurus April 21-23. Law enforcement officers and emergency room personnel might expect a higher-than-average number of problems over the weekend of April 21, thanks to the new moon.
The Lyrid Meteors reach their best on April 21-22, and the moon will be dark at that time, favorable for watching these shooting stars. Look in the southeast after midnight. The meteors will appear near the Summer Triangle, especially in Lyra.
On April 20, Cross-Quarter Day (the halfway mark between equinox and solstice), the sun enters Taurus.
Weather patterns The chances for a high above 50 degrees are 85 percent on almost every day during April’s third quarter, and temperatures above 60 come at least half the time. Cold 20s are rare (just a 5 percent chance April 17-18), but frost still strikes an average of one night in four.
The likelihood of frost on or about April 21 is increased as the new moon coincides with a cool front due near that date. On the other hand, beginning April 20, the chances for an afternoon high in the 70s or 80s jumps from an average of 25 percent way up to 45. Beginning April 16, a major increase in the average daily amount of sunlight takes place: A rise from early April’s 50/50 chance for sun or clouds up to a brighter 70 percent chance for clear to partly cloudy conditions.
Daybook April 16: Phlox and ragwort are purple and gold throughout the woods. May apples are budding. Great wide patches of chickweed cover the forest floor. A few hidden ginger plants are blooming, some meadow rue, the first bellwort, the first Jack-in-the pulpit, first thyme-leafed speedwell. First peonies are budding. Forsythia is half yellow, half green.
April 17: Consider marketing livestock to the popular Hispanic celebration of Cinco de Mayo (May 5). A 20- to 35-pound live weight milk-fed lamb or kid is favored. Animals born in February, March or April may be suitable for this market. The number of Hispanics currently exceeds 30 million in the United States.
April 18: When the clovers bloom, flea season has already begun for dogs, cats and sheep. And flies are infesting the barn! The juniper webworm emerges, and eastern tent caterpillars may begin to weave webs on flowering fruit trees.
April 19: Prepare soil and seeds for new moon planting two days from now. At this time, start exploring the possibility of marketing to consumers who are celebrating the graduation of a child from high school or college. Kids and lambs born in late winter and spring may be suitable for this barbecue market.
April 20: When the tree line starts to turn green, weevils appear in alfalfa and the big field corn planting push begins all across the Central states. The second major tornado period of April starts now, lasting in most years until April 27.
April 21: This is new moon day; time to be ready to plant soybeans, oats, alfalfa and barley.
April 22: The water in farm ponds is warm enough for pan fish breeding to begin. Rhubarb is thick enough for pie. Mosquitoes bother livestock. Butterfly season is in full swing, as gold finches turn gold.
Remove mulch from roses. Complete spring transplanting of berries, bushes and trees. Harvest asparagus in the warmest years. |
