Outdoor Almanac Summer 2009

The Outdoor Almanac is excerpted from Mass Audubon's Sanctuary magazine, which is sent to members four times a year.

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June 21
Summer solstice.

June 22
New moon.

June 23
Gray treefrogs begin singing about this time. Listen for their birdlike trill on sultry days just before a rain.

June 25
Bullfrog chorus begins; listen for them at night by ponds in rural areas.

June 30
Check your garden for the fast-flying robber flies. They hover in midair and then zip off.

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July 1
Daylilies are in bloom by this date; watch for them on roadsides along with other wildflowers. Most of the wildflowers you see by roadways (and many in fields as well) are nonnative species.

July 2
Watch for adult toads in the garden. Look also for the tiny black baby toads on old dirt roads near water.

July 5
Listen for indigo bunting songs.

July 7
Full moon. Wind is said to be strongest when the moon is on the horizon.

July 8
Blueberries ripen.

July 14
Fireflies appear above meadows and overgrown lawns.

July 16
On warm summer nights, listen for the mournful wail of the screech-owl.

July 20
Cicadas, or seventeen-year locusts, may be whining in the trees on hot days by this time.

July 22
New moon.

July 25
Shorebirds begin migrating. Watch for the flocks along the coast.

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August 3
Yellow warblers and northern waterthrushes begin moving south.

August 6
Full moon. A halo around the moon is a sign of wind.

August 12
Goldfinches are nesting at this time. Watch for them in flowers, gardens, and field edges.

August 14
Sweet pepperbush blooms near lakes and ponds about this time; sniff the air for its spicy odor.

August 17
Woodland asters begin blooming.

August 20
New moon.

August 23
Cardinal flower blooms along clean freshwater streams.

August 26
Nighthawk migration is in progress; watch for these slender-winged birds overhead at dusk.

August 29
Fall webworms begin to appear; watch for their nests at the tips of tree branches.

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September 4
Full moon. A reddish moon forecasts wind.

September 6
This is the peak of the fall warbler migration; watch for them in backyard shrubbery and treetops.

September 10
Broad-winged and sharpshinned hawks migrate about this time of year. Watch the ridges on clear days with a northwest wind.

September 18
After rains watch the woodland floor for wild mushrooms.

September 22
Autumnal equinox. Days and nights are of equal length. First light frosts may occur about this date.

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