And August comes, when fields are sere and brown,

When stubble takes the place of ruffling corn;

When the sweet grass is like a prisoner shorn;

The air is full of drifting thistledown,

Grey pointed sprites, that on the breezes ride. – V. Sackville-West

The Moon: The Sweet Peach Moon, new and at apogee (its position farthest from Earth) on the 16th, waxes throughout the period, entering its second quarter on August 24. Rising in the morning and setting in the evening, this moon passes overhead in the afternoon.

The Sun: The sun moves halfway between summer solstice and autumn equinox, entering Virgo and reaching Cross-Quarter Day on August 23. 

The Stars: In the late-night sky, the Summer Triangle shifts into the west, following June’s Corona Borealis and Hercules. Delphinus, the Dolphin, is due south. After midnight, autumn’s Pleiades rise up over the northeastern tree line.

Weather Trends: Last week, chances of 90s were steady about 40 percent. Suddenly, those chances are reduced by half, and August 17 was the last day of the year on which a high of 100 degrees is still reasonable to expect. This shift to autumn often goes unnoticed, however, since highs in the 80s continue to dominate the afternoons. Brisk highs in the 60s, however, occur 5 percent of the days on record. Chances of rain increase from 20 percent at the beginning of the period to 30 percent by August 21, then drop abruptly to just 10 percent on the 22nd.

The Natural Calendar: The third week of August brings Judas Maple Time to the Lower Midwest. Complementing that maple season, Sumac, Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper Reddening Seasons grow along the fencerows. In the woodlots, Wild Plum Season compounds the sweetness of Elderberry Season. Deep in the woods, Puffball Mushroom Season commences as the Whip-Poor-Will, Cedar Waxwing and Catbird Migration Seasons open. Goldenrod Season presages September as Ironweed Season and Wingstem Season continue to brighten the fields. The height of Tall Bellflower Season softens the mood of the decaying undergrowth with stalks of powder blue.

The last spicebush swallowtails visit the garden. Tiger swallowtails and giant swallowtails often remain into September. Grackle flocking increases while cardinal song becomes fainter. Murmurations of starlings become more common, and long flocks of blackbirds follow the harvest.

In the Field and Garden: The best of hickory nutting season begins. If you plant your spinach now, it could overwinter and provide an early spring crop. Garlic planting begins along the Canadian border; in the East and Midwest, wait until October or November. Scout fields for late-season for second-brood corn borer, second-generation of bean leaf beetles and rootworm beetles.

Mind and Body: Nostalgia often accompanies the steady transformation of the landscape. Memories proliferate, the mind traveling back through the concentric circles of the years, sorting and ruminating. And the day’s length, which shortened only two hours between solstice and today, suddenly collapses, shedding an entire additional hour between now and September’s equinox, creating a sudden surge of energy in some people, a sudden sadness in others.

Almanack Classics

What’s the Matter With Your Chocolate, Jerroid?

by Eunice Hicks, Willard, Ohio

My friend Angie was babysitting for her sister’s little boy, Jerroid, who was 3. Some of Angie’s friends and I were sitting at her table talking and laughing when Jerroid came up to us.

“I think I’ll make some hot chocolate with little marshmallows for you, Jerroid,” said Angie. “Would you like that?”

Jerroid said he would, and Angie made the chocolate and set it on the table to cool. When it was ready, she put it down on Jerroid’s little table.

He sat down on his little chair. Then he looked at the cup of chocolate for the longest time.

He looked and looked into the cup.

“What’s the matter, Jerroid,” Angie asked after a while. “Why haven’t you touched your drink?”

Finally, Jerroid turned to his Aunt Angie: “I can’t drink this,” he complained. “It’s got someone’s teeth in it!”

And indeed, the hot chocolate had been poured right into a glass that contained a set of false teeth!

***

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S SCKRAMBLER

LABSILCIT BALLISTIC

CTIPSE SEPTIC

EIPPTC PEPTIC

CATIT ATTIC

CCTTIA TACTIC

CITLAC LACTIC

CITCEH HECTIC

LOHCITCRA HOLARCTIC

POTCI OPTIC

TCLIASP PLASTIC

THIS WEEK’S RHYMING SCKRAMBLER 

UEEYBLBRR  

YRREBYAB  

REBYRAWSRT  

SAREBPRERY    KCALBYRERB    BERYRULM  

YOBNESEBRYR

YRBRLKHCUEE

WBEDRERY

OOEEYRRBSG

In order to estimate your SCKRAMBLER IQ, award yourself 15 points for each word unscrambled, adding a 50-point bonus for getting all of them correct. If you find a typo, add another 15 points to your IQ. Yes, you are a genius.

Copyright 2023 – W. L. Felker