June 27-July 3, 2011
The day, immeasurably long, sleeps over the broad hills and warm wide fields. To have lived through all its sunny hours seems longevity enough.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lunar phase and lore

The Mulberry Moon wanes quickly, becoming the new Touch-Me-Not Moon on July 1 at 3:54 a.m. The Dog Days of middle summer bring the soft-petaled touch-me-nots into bloom. Their yellow or orange seedpods explode at the slightest touch to eject their contents out onto the land.

Parallel worlds to the touch-me-nots are fields of thistle down spreading across the country, easily spotted along the back roads, as are the tall cattail stalks protruding from wetlands and ditches.

Rising before sunrise and setting in the late afternoon or evening, this moon passes overhead in the middle of the day. Entering Gemini on June 28, Cancer on June 30, Leo on July 2 and Virgo on July 4, the moon will favor the seeding of all late-summer crops, especially in Cancer next Thursday and Friday.
Fishing is expected to improve at midday when the barometer drops in advance of the June 29 and July 6 cool fronts.

In the late evenings of middle summer, the teapot-like star formation of Libra lies in the south, followed by Scorpius and its red center, Antares. Sagittarius, the Archer, trails the Scorpion in the southeast. Above the Archer, the Milky Way sweeps up toward Cassiopeia in the north.

In the eastern sky, the stars of the Summer Triangle are moving into position for August. The easiest of these three stars to find is Deneb, which is the large “tail” star of Cygnus (shaped like a large bird in flight, its long neck pointing to the south).

To the right of Deneb lies Vega, the brightest star overhead these nights. The third corner of the triangle is Altair, below and about halfway between the other two corners.

Venus moves retrograde into Gemini this month, continuing her reign as the morning star. Mars remains in Taurus, leading Venus into the morning sky. Jupiter stays in Aries, overhead before dawn. Saturn keeps its lengthy tryst with Virgo, visible at sundown in the west.

Aphelion, the sun’s position farthest from Earth, occurs on July 4 at 11 a.m. By the end of the month, the sun will be a fourth of the way between summer solstice and autumn equinox.

Weather patterns

Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or prolonged periods of soggy pasture are most likely to occur within the weather windows of July 3-7 and July 21-23. New moon on July 1 and full moon on July 15 increase the chance of tornadoes in the Midwest and the landing of a hurricane in the Gulf region near those dates.
Like the final front of June, the July 6 weather system is associated with the Corn Tassel Rains. Thunderstorms and overcast skies precede this front, often spoiling fireworks displays, sometimes bringing hail.

July 6 itself is one of the driest days of the July’s first two weeks, but some of the wettest days come between July 2-13. The evening following the passage of this barometric wave offers the best sleeping weather of the early Dog Days. July 10, however, begins a two-week period during which cool nighttime temperatures are rare.

Daybook

June 27: Even though night lengthens in middle summer, the amount of possible sunshine reaches its zenith, and the percentage of totally sunny days in a week is the highest of the year.

June 28: At the beginning of middle summer, purple coneflowers, gray-headed coneflowers, white vervain, oxeye, bouncing bets, ginseng, germander, teasel and wild lettuce blossom in the fields.

June 29: The dark moon of late June is right for weeding and mulching, as well as for insect hunting. It also favors late plantings of almost all garden vegetables that will mature in 60-90 days.

June 30: Horseweed replaces sweet clover, parsnips and hemlock along the highways. In the woods and wetlands, tall bellflowers and spotted touch-me-nots open, and thimble plants set thimbles.

July 1: Timothy is bearded with seeds, and rose of Sharon flowers. Stag beetles appear on your porch. Plan to harvest before the Corn Tassel Rains (July 2-7). Mulch in preparation of Dog Day heat and peak weed season. New moon today is expected to complicate weekend outings with family.
July 2: Set in crops that will bear their fruit above the ground as the moon is waxing. In the garden, plant hollyhock, sweet William and forget-me-not seeds for next year’s blossoms. Columbines and delphiniums for 2012 can also be sown this month.

When the first black walnuts start to fall, renovate strawberry beds, cutting off tops above the crown, then fertilize. Plant the latest sweet corn of the year as soon as possible.

July 3: The best part of black raspberry season ends as the summer apple harvest gets under way, and roadside grasses turn like the winter wheat. Standing water from Corn Tassel Rains can encourage parasite infestation in pastures.

July 4: The Dog Days of summer reach full bloom, and average temperatures remain at their peak until July 28. Select varieties for midsummer planting that are able to grow well even as the days shorten. For frost-sensitive vegetables like beans, try to use varieties that ripen quickly.

Late plantings of the fleetest sweet corn and squash can be sown this week as the moon waxes. Also, order seed for green manure to sow in autumn. If you have time, build a few cold frames to extend the season another month.
July 5: Thimbleberry, blueweed, great Indian plantain, great mullein, milkweed, black-eyed Susan, columbine, red bleeding heart, dock, daisy fleabane, large black medic bush clover, yellow and white sweet clover, cow parsnip, blue-eyed grass and Hooker’s orchids are in bloom.

July 6: The harvest of winter wheat is well under way across the lower Midwest and the canola harvest has begun in the North. The first ears of field corn are silking, and detasseling operations have begun in seed cornfields of the Midwest.