April 5-11, 2010
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.
-A. E. Housman
Lunar phase and lore

The Golden Goldfinch Moon remains in its fourth quarter throughout the period, finally becoming the new Rhubarb Pie Moon at 8:29 p.m. April 14.

The moon will be overhead in the mornings this week, perfect for angling in the sun-warmed inlets and bays. If you can get out a day or two prior to the passage of the cold fronts of April 6 and 11, you should have an added advantage with all varieties of fish. The dropping barometer on April 4-5 and then again on April 9-10 will call wet creatures to your bait.

This week’s lunar lore suggests that you will feel hungriest in the morning. Don’t believe it? Just try keeping on your diet between 8 a.m. and noon. Plan balanced breakfasts, no-sugar mid-morning snacks and lunches full of protein.

Before you go to bed, look for the twins of Gemini above you in the western half of the sky. A little farther west, almost directly above Orion, the brightest star is Capella. Along the southwestern horizon, the most prominent star is Sirius, the Dog Star of middle summer.
Weather patterns

While the first 10 days of April bring cool high temperatures in the 30s and 40s about 30 percent of the time, April 10 is one of the major turning points in the progress of spring. After that date, the chance for highs below 50 degrees falls sharply to an average of just 15 percent.

Most afternoons are in the 50s and 60s, but they can warm to the 70s or 80s 15 percent of the time. Frost strikes 30 percent of the nights. The first 10 days of April carry about twice the chance for precipitation as the last 10 days.

On April 9, the sun stays up for a full 13 hours, the first time it has done that since Sept. 3. On April 10, the sun reaches a declination of 7 degrees, 53 minutes, about 65 percent of its way to summer solstice.

The 12th of spring’s 23 cold fronts (which reach your property between Feb. 14-May 26) arrives on April 6; the 13th knocks on your door April 11. The relatively long period between these fronts usually provides welcome sun and warmth.

Almanac daybook

April 5: The field and garden day is increasing at the rate of two minutes per 24 hours.

April 6: The moon enters its final quarter today, favoring livestock and garden maintenance in the week ahead. This is also a fine lunar time of the month for ridding your homestead of insects. And all the rest of your root crops should also be planted between now and new moon on April 14.

April 7: Today is the average date for violets to bloom from Washington, D.C., all the way across the nation to central California. When violets flower, that means that swamp buttercups, toad trillium, cowslip, trout lily, small-flowered buttercup and ground ivy will also blossom.

April 8: Zeitgebers of this week: Downy woodpeckers are mating. Baby groundhogs have come out of their dens. Water rushes and purple loosestrife, water lilies and pickerel plants have suddenly produced foliage. Water striders are courting now, and small diving water beetles hunt for food.

April 9: Gardeners are cutting asparagus throughout the Border States, picking strawberries in Alabama and Louisiana.
April 10: Crab apple and cherry blossom time begins in the lower Midwest and usually lasts into the last week of the month. Columbines and bleeding hearts are bushy and nearly a foot tall. Rhubarb leaves are bigger than a big man’s hand. The grass is long enough to cut.

Redbud branches turn violet as their buds stretch and crack. Trillium grandiflorum are starting to flower. The first yellow trout lilies of the year come out. Star of Holland and the fritillaries bloom. Cowslip flowers appear below the ash and sugar maples in full bloom.

April 11: Gardeners are picking strawberries in Alabama and Louisiana. Along the beaches of the Northeast, piping plovers return to establish their nests.

April estimated pollen count

Per date, and on a scale of 0-700 grains per cubic meter – major pollen sources are box elders, maples, pussy willows, flowering crabs and cherries: April 1, 10; April 3, 25; April 5, 50; April 7, 40; April 9, 45; April 11, 60; April 13, 80; April 15, 100; April 16, 120; April 18, 100; April 20, 125; April 22, 135; April 24, 170; April 26, 300; April 28, 330; and April 30, 400.
Living with the seasons

Japanese beetle grubs now move to the surface of the ground to feed. They are fat, white and shaped like crescents. Look for them when you are working in the garden. All across the country, farmers are seeding oats and spring barley. Field corn planting is in full swing throughout the South and the central states, cotton planting along the Gulf.

Goat milk prices begin their downward trend in April. Would changes in your breeding schedule help you to get more milk to market at the best pricing period between December-February?

Allergy season is here across the nation. During April, trees are in full flower in the Central Plains, Northeast, Northwest and Rocky Mountains. In the Southeast, all the grasses are coming into bloom. The April 11 high-pressure ridge typically sweeps the northern pollen across the East, and the low pressure that precedes the high pressure brings the pollen from the South.

Mounds begin to show on your lawn as moles wake up and hunt grubs and worms. When the moles start working, flea season begins for pets and livestock. And flies are infesting the barn.