Ken Lassman has been keeping this almanac for over a decade, He invites you to share your observations and photos in the comments section. You can find his book Wild Douglas County at The Raven Bookstore and The Community Mercantile in Lawrence.
Kaw Valley Almanac is now being posted at the Merc!
June: Buffalo Pawing Earth Moon
June is the month with the longest days of the year, with summer solstice taking place during the third week. This year's rains have made this month a much lusher one than last year, although we are never more than a couple weeks without rain from the beginnings of another drought! Haying season begins this month for area farmers, and the cooler wetter weather means that soybeans will be planted this month, which makes for a very busy time of year. Most farmers will tell you that the long hours are kept more interesting by the swooping swallows that keep them company in the hay fields, picking off insects stirred up by the tractor in order to feed their babies, while around sunrise and sunset, they are likely to see deer fawns, fox and coyote pups, skunk kittens and young raccoons. Lightning and lightning bugs are quintessential June events as well; you can get too much of the former but never enough of the latter!
Finally, the prairie fireworks peak this month with wave after wave of prairie wildflowers. Be sure to try to schedule a weekly trip to Prairie Park or another native prairie to see what each week surprises you with. Be sure to take a good shower and check over yourself, since ticks and chiggers are thick this year.
Want your wildlife observations, pictures, links posted here? Send them to seasonsandcycles@yahoo.com
