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.
July: Buffalo Mating Moon
The Osages commemorate the keystone species of the prairie, the bison, for its mating season, which used to be one of the greatest spectacles found in North America. The book The Osages has descriptions of the titanic battles between competing bulls and how they would plow up large areas of prairie sod as they pushed each other aroound. Read that and you’ll understand why the Osage clled this the Bufffalo Mating Moon.
This month is a time when many songbirds molt, or lose their colorful feathers that helped attract a mate in the spring. It is a time when many gooseberries are ripe in the woods, when warm season grasses shoot up tall and wildflowers grow taller to compete for the sun. Cicadas sing during the day, with damelflies and dragonflies eating mosquitoes while dodging the watchful eye of the bullfrog. At night, katydids begin their song while lightning bugs stitch across yards, meadows and fields.
Thunderstorms seem to lose their way, appearing, moving and disappearing almost at random this time of year, causing flash flooding at one spot while leaving nearby areas dry. A wet road at night can host steamy fog and fast jumping frogs crossing the pavement, while moonlit nights can bring out many a nocturnal animal beating the heat of the day. If the moon isn’t bright, take a look at the milky way that the summer so nicely showcases, including the constellation Sagittarius in the south, which looks like a teapot outline in the sky but holds the center of our galaxy.
Hi Mr Lassman,
Thank you so much for putting this together, I sure appreciate reading it every week and have learned so much from you.
I just saw this spider in the attached picture and was wondering if you have any idea what it is. I donât know how well it comes through in the picture, but the whole back of it is covered in what looks like a wooly substance. I wondered if maybe those could be babies on the back? Have never seen anything like it, plus I included my finger in the pic so you can see how big the spider is.
Thank you so much for taking a look! Was just curious so if you donât know, no big deal, but I imagine you probably do 🙂
Debbie Smith
LikeLike
Hi, Debbie,
I don’t see any attached picture, but maybe it will show up when I reply. If not, please send as an attachment to my email address, seasonsandcycles@yahoo.com and I’ll take a look at it.
thanks,
Ken
LikeLike