June 3-9, 2019 Then let us, one and all, be contented with our lot; The June is here this morning, and the sun is shining hot! -James Whitcomb Riley The Milkweed Beetle Mating Moon reaches perigee (its position closest to Earth) at 6:21 p.m. on June 7, and on June 10, the moon enters its second quarter at 12:59 p.m. Weather trends Normal temperatures rise at the rate of 1 degree every four days this month throughout most of the United States. In the lower Midwest, average highs move from the upper 70s on the first of June to the middle 80s by the beginning of July. Lows climb from the mid 50s into the lower 60s. The average temperature for the entire month is usually in the low 70s, up about 10 degrees from May’s average. A typical June temperature distribution looks like the following in much of the area: four days in the 90s, 12 days in the 80s, 12 days in the 70s, and two days in the 60s, with a slight chance for one of those cooler days to be in the upper 50s. The June 6 high-pressure system is associated with a four-day period during which there is an increased chance for tornadoes and flash floods. Part of the reason for the rise in the risk for severe weather is the increase in the percentage of afternoons in the 80s and 90s. Lunar perigee on June 7 will contribute to uncertain meteorological conditions. The natural calendar June 3: Pollen from flowering trees has reached low levels by this point in the year. Most of the pollen in the air now comes from grasses. Estimated pollen count on a scale of 0-700 grains per cubic meter for the following dates are: June 10, 40; June 15, 35; June 30, 25. June 4: The Big Dipper has started to rotate to the west after dark, marking the time that chiggers and Japanese beetles appear along the 40th Parallel. In the east, the Summer Triangle is rising, bringing all the lilies into bloom. To the east of the North Star, the house-shaped constellation of Cepheus spins slowly around to the center of the southern sky; when it is almost overhead at midnight, gardens will be full of bright mums. June 5: When the canopy has closed above the woodland wildflowers, when winter wheat is a soft pale green and the clovers and vetches are all coming in, then it’s the best time of year for golden parsnip blossoms throughout the countryside. June 6: Catalpas and privets and hawthorns and pink spirea bloom this week, and the number of fireflies grows in proportion to the flowers on the day lilies. June 7: The first nodding thistle, the first chicory, first daisy fleabane, the first great mullein, the first Asiatic lily, and the first tall meadow rue open. The first raspberry reddens, and the first orange trumpet creeper blooms. Bindweeds and sweet peas color the fences with pastels. Cherries, mulberries, and the earliest black raspberries ripen. June 8: Young blackbirds and grackles join their parents to harvest the ripening cherries and mulberries. Painted turtles are out laying eggs. Young grackles beg for food from their parents. Baby robins have been out for a week or two. June 9: When yucca plants send up their stalks and flower, Japanese beetles start to attack roses and ferns. Azalea bark scale eggs hatch, too. Field and garden Placing blackberries and raspberries along your hedgerows offers a simple way to offer healthful browsing material for your livestock. Since these shrubs propagate themselves, you may not ever need to think about them again. Other medicinal herbs you may already be growing include dill (the seed is said to increase milk yields), fennel (for fevers, and constipation and all eye ailments), and anise (for digestive ailments). The waxing moon favors the continuing harvest of strawberries and spring vegetables. The first crop of alfalfa should be gaining a little more moisture, too. Stabilize the feed schedule of the animals that you’ll show this summer, increasing the grain in their rations in order to add quality to their coats and overall condition. June is the month during which insect infestations typically reach the economic threshold. Look out for rose chafers and two-spotted spider mites on your rose bushes. Cucumber beetles appear in the cucumbers and melons. And protect yourself against chiggers: they're biting now. Gather cherries, mulberries, and black raspberries in the mild June days. Fertilize asparagus and rhubarb as their seasons end. Harvest canola, commercial broccoli, and squash. Consider putting in double-crop soybeans after the wheat is cut. Fertilize roses, asparagus, and rhubarb; sidedress the corn; cut broccoli, harvest early summer cabbage. Heat stress can slow the rate of gain in your lambs and kids. Protection from the weather, plenty of water, and adequate supplements may help to reduce weight loss. In the countdown to late summer, it is: •Just another week until wild black raspberries ripen, until fledgling robins peep in the bushes and fireflies mate in the night •Two weeks until bee balm blooms and beckons all the bees •Three weeks until the start of day lily season and cicadas chant in the hot and humid days •Four weeks until thistles turn to down •Five weeks until sycamore bark starts to fall, marking the center of deep summer •Six weeks to the season of singing crickets and katydids after dark •Seven weeks until ragweed pollen floats in the wind •Eight weeks until blackberries are ready for jam and brandy •Nine weeks until aster and goldenrod time •10 weeks until the season of fall apples begins Almanac literature The Smart Pony By Henry Weaver, Age 11 We used to take our little brown pony into the house by leading him onto our front porch and taking him in the house and giving him sugar. Then we took him out the back porch and down the stairs. Then one cold night last winter, Mom heard something on the front porch. It went “tag, tag, tag,” again and again. Our little dog that slept on the porch made a big fuss at first, but soon quit it. Finally Mom got up and went to the window and peered out. And what did she see, but our little pony. The next morning, he was still there. So my brother tried to lead him off the porch, but he wouldn’t go. So he took him in through the house, but he wouldn’t go out the back door until he had some sugar. (Will’s note: Henry will get his $4 as soon as he sends his address to: Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, OH 45387; or wlfelker@gmail.com) |
