| By BILL FELKER
Poor Will's Almanack July 20-26, 2015 Lunar phase and lore The Cricket and Cicada Moon enters its second quarter on July 23 and waxes gibbous all week, becoming full at 5:43 a.m. on July 31. Rising in the evening and setting in the early morning, this moon passes overhead in the dark. Lunar prospects for angling improve at night this week, especially as the last cool front of July lowers the barometric pressure. Plant the autumn and winter garden under the waxing moon, which passes through Scorpio between July 23-26 and enters Capricorn (great for autumn beets and turnips) on July 28. Weather trends As July comes to an end, a subtle change takes place in weather history statistics. The chances for highs in the 80s or 90s fall slightly from 90 to 75 percent. That shift is the first measurable temperature signal that summer has begun to unravel. Rainfall typically tapers off slightly as milder weather spawns fewer thunderstorms. The natural calendar July 20: If you see the first milkweed pod and find the first black walnut on the ground, and see the thistle down lying across the fields like fog, that will tell you the days are getting shorter and, in a few weeks, the average temperatures from Alaska to the Gulf Coast will begin to fall. July 21: Late summer’s burdock blooms. Tall bluebell flowers, pale violet bouncing bets and pink germander color the waysides. Water hemlock and arrowhead blossom in the swamps. Round galls swell on the goldenrod. July 22: Today is full moon day, a time to be extra gentle with spouses, children, clients and animals. July 23: Blackberries begin to come in all along the 40th Parallel. In field and garden July 20: As morning birdsong diminishes and insect volume increases, then collard, kale and cabbage sets are often planted for fall. July 21: Tobacco toppers often start to top their plants in the Border States. July 22: Commercial cucumber and summer potato harvests are under way when you see velvetleaf flowering in the corn. Japanese beetles reach major levels in soybeans, and aphid infestations increase dramatically in the Dog Days heat. July 23: Summer apples are about one-third picked, and a few peaches are ready for pie. Almanac literature Great American Story Contest entry Snake Bite By Seamus O’Grady, Age 12 New London, Ohio Ever since I was five, I have loved to catch snakes. Last summer I caught one that was living in our garden. My mother was hanging laundry out on our clothesline, so I went to show her the scales of the snake. Just then the snake turned and bit my hand. I told Mom I got bit, and she started yelling for Scarlett (my older sister) to bring a camera (probably so she could take a picture if she had to identify it). Lily and Titus (my little sister and brother) came with her. The snake held on for about eight minutes. Mom wondered if she should cut the head off with scissors, but finally she called Dad, who was at work, and he said to squeeze the sides of the head until it let go. That worked. I put the snake back where I’d found him and didn’t mess with it again! And no, it wasn’t poisonous. Winners of the Great American Almanac Story Contest will not be announced until all selected entries appear in this column. |
