Reaching the cusp of Summer #phenology

Goldenrod's yellow flowers are appearing along roadsides. Late-blooming milkweed has popped up all over a nearby field. Wild bergamot has come into bloom. Bees are enjoying the flowering feral oregano that's taking over much of the back yard. We think that's a sign that we've now climbed to the top of Summer's hill and have begun to slip-slide our way toward a seasonal change, albeit weeks from now. Today the cup is shifting from half-full to half-empty. Somewhere or other recently we read that, statistically speaking, this week is the hottest week of Summer. Last night's cool temperatures were delightful. Their hint of Autumn encouraged us to feel more like Tigger instead of our usual Eeyore.

field of wild bergamot

Photo by J. Harrington

The tractor is back. It seems pretty happy after spending a little time with the mechanics. We promptly put it (her?) to work today cutting the grass. The Daughter Person and Son-In-Law have named each of their vehicles with various women's names. We're faced with uncertainty about the tractor's gender and will have a conversation with those who practice vehicle naming in the near future.

More buckthorn and prickly ash has been pulled, thanks to the return of the tractor. Soon we'll take an "after picture," to mark a small accomplishment before we move on to the next location and start pulling again. We've yet to put a match to last Winter's brush pile but remain hopeful that an opportune combination of rain and calm winds will present the conditions we're looking for. If not sooner, we'll try for an August 7th ignition in recognition of astronomical mid-Summer.

whitetail doe exiting a field of alyssum

Photo by J. Harrington

Our fields are full of hoary alyssum but we don't pasture horses so that's a non-issue for now. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources lists it as an invasive species but it doesn't seem to be on the Department of Agriculture's lists, despite being poisonous to horses. (We suppose it would be too much to hope for a definitive, consolidated list of invasive species.)

After all the recent stories about new and more sickening types of ticks spreading due to climate breakdown, we may revisit the question of the chickens the Better Half wants to keep. Were it not for the local bear and coyote population, we'd find it easier and probably more rewarding to proceed.

Midsummer

William Cullen Bryant- 1794-1878

A power is on the earth and in the air,
  From which the vital spirit shrinks afraid,
  And shelters him in nooks of deepest shade,
From the hot steam and from the fiery glare.
Look forth upon the earth—her thousand plants
  Are smitten; even the dark sun-loving maize
  Faints in the field beneath the torrid blaze;
The herd beside the shaded fountain pants;
For life is driven from all the landscape brown;
  The bird hath sought his tree, the snake his den,
  The trout floats dead in the hot stream, and men
Drop by the sunstroke in the populous town:
  As if the Day of Fire had dawned, and sent
  Its deadly breath into the firmament.

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