In the evening there were flocks of nighthawks

passing southward over the valley. The tall

sunflowers stood, burning on their stalks

to cold seed, by the river. And high

up the birds rose into sight against the darkening

clouds…. – Wendell Berry

The Phases of the Mulberry Pie Moon

and the Raspberry Pie Moon

The final quarter of the Mullberry Pie Moon is July 17

The Raspberry Pie Moon is new July 24

The weather in the week ahead

Temperatures are in the 80s and 90s most of the time this week. Nighttime lows typically remain in the 60s, but chilly 50s occur an average of 10 to 15 percent of the time. Rain is a bit more likely this week than it was last week as chances of showers rise over the next seven days from between 20 and 30 percent to between 35 and 40 percent.

Natural Calendar

Deep in July, the tide of summer reaches as far north as it can go then starts to slip away back toward the Gulf of Mexico. The rate of the retreat varies with each year, but the balance has always shifted by the seventh month. The day’s length becomes one to two minutes shorter every 24 hours, and the countryside responds with changing color and sound.

At the start of summer ebb tide, the land is on the early side of cicada song and fireflies are still common. The first katydids begin to chant after dark, and crickets intensify their calls. More woolly bear caterpillars and Japanese beetles appear. Thistledown unravels more dramatically when summer’s tide has turned. Seed pods form on trumpet creepers. Catalpa beans are fat and long.

Ohio peaches come to the markets now. Late Summer’s white snakeroot buds in the woods. Joe Pye weed heads turn pink, their buds fat, in the wetlands. In many years, a slight turning of the leaves has begun on some of the redbuds, Virginia creepers, box elders and buckeyes. Foliage of Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora roses is often yellowing. Spiderword withers in the garden as phlox gathers momentum and day lilies start to decline.

A Note on Katydids

In the third week of the month, katydids usually begin their vocalizations about around 8:15 p.m., or about 15 minutes after sundown and 15 minutes before the last light.

As sunset occurs earlier throughout the remainder of the summer, the katydids keep a solar interval beginning their conversations close to 8 p.m. in August’s first week.

By the end of the second week of August, they begin around 7:50; by the end of the third week 7:40; by Sept. 1, around 7:30; by Sept. 15, around 7:15, and on through the autumn until the nights grow too cold.

Phenology

When thistledown floats across the fields, then more wildflowers and weeds are blooming than at any other time of year. That is when many people complete the carrot harvest.

When hemlock and parsnips turn brown and brittle in the sun, then Early Summer’s clovers and grasses are past their prime. Velvetleaf blooming in the fields announces the driest time of summer.

When wild cherries darken on the wild cherry trees, then potato leafhoppers could be causing serious damage to the potatoes.

When peaches ripen in the Midwest, then strawberries are coming in throughout Ontario, and peonies are flowering on homesteads along the northern rim of the Great Lakes.

 

Alma Girls in the Beans

By Nancy Schmidt

In 1988, we had a very hot, dry summer. Pasture was basically nonexistent. We had at that time 25-30 Suffolk and Suffolk cross ewes and ewe lambs on the pasture. We were giving minimum hay since we were trying to conserve as we thought about getting through the winter.

We watched closely for any weight loss in the sheep so that if we had to start graining early, we could do so. For weeks, I would watch and look over the “girls.” Every one was maintaining condition and some were actually gaining weight! I was dumb founded. How could this be?

To the west side of our pasture is a heavily overgrown fence line with a boxed-wire fence. The “girls” had found a loose place at the ground and pushed up the fence to make a tunnel effect under the overgrowth. They were going through each night after dark and coming back sometime before dawn (as they were all in the pasture each morning).

They had totally eaten out the whole back end of the soybean field that is next to the pasture. This had to have happened for weeks as they had paths worn down in the field.

This could have gone on longer except for one night a lamb cried and cried, so I got my flashlight out and went to investigate the situation. Imagine my surprise when I found nothing in the pasture, but many eyes were looking at me from the bean field.

The tunnel was fixed the next day. Thankfully, the bean field was ours.