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 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 called 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.
Kaw Valley Almanac 
In the last two weeks in my back yard in North Lawrence: In the daytime…. 4 ft black snake with dinner bulge came in my kitchen and refused to leave. swallow trapped in chimney base had to be freed. 3 ft lined garter snake swallows huge toad. At night in early morning hours….. Racoon raids birdfeeders at 2:00AM, possum plays vacuum cleaner under bird feeders late at night, A 3 ft. fox appears at 1:00AM and runs off with the woodpecker suet I bought for mama downy who brings her baby to eat finch food every day.
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Thanks for sharing such vivid imagery, Nancy. Around our place, we’ve seen box turtles laying eggs, a black snake crossing the drive, cowbirds probably laying eggs in the resident painted bunting nests (grrrr…), nesting cardinals, chickadees, downy woodpeckers, with the elusive yellow billed cuckoo calling in the woods, herons flying by around sunset and sunrise, the call of the nighthawk and chuck will’s widow frequenting the night, opossums and foxes raiding the compost but staying out of the chicken fenced garden, way too many ticks and chiggers. June is so alive!
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