Even though the five-month-long winter makes the month of May
appear to be the finest of the year, along comes August making
us re-evaluate our original choice. Now the vegetable garden is
producing scrumptious vegetables and the sweet harvest of
blackberries will soon be starting. Butterflies appear to be
everywhere, weedy fallow fields and ditches are decorated in
their flamboyant finest, chanterelle mushrooms are gradually
popping up, ripe for picking and eating, and nature is
absolutely bursting at her seams.
Finally the purple coneflowers in our rather weedy butterfly
garden are coming into bloom. No other species of flower in that
wind-protected site attracts more butterflies and other insects.
One species we always expect to see in good numbers, already on
the wing by late July, is the great-spangled fritillary. Even
though you can expect to observe the adults feeding on the nectar
of many garden flowers as well as weedy flowers, they are not
usually found very far away from the edges of wooded areas.
These large flashy gold and rich brown creatures have one of
the most fascinating life cycles associated with wild violets.
It is only upon the leaves of violets that the females lay their
eggs in late summer. Having hatched, the tiny caterpillars work
their way beneath the dead leaves and other debris lying upon the
forest floor. Here they will spend the entire winter.
Come spring and the emergence of the very first violet plants,
these young larvae will immediately begin feasting upon the
foliage but only during nighttime hours. Finally they will
pupate, emerge in a few weeks as sleek adults and entertain
butterfly watchers, feast upon wildflower nectar, mate, lay eggs
and start the cycle all over.
Our several Kentucky-style bluebird nestboxes have been
unusually successful this summer. Charlotte has been carefully
monitoring them and keeping records of the dates of egg laying,
hatching and fledging. Apparently the young are quite strongly
attracted to their natal area because we frequently see them
flying from tree to tree to fence wires to power lines from where
they hunt for insects, all within seeing-distance of the box in
which they were hatched. The last of the baby bluebirds hatched
in on e of our boxes about July 27. Two broods a summer in this
area are quite common for eastern bluebirds.
Now with molting for many of the adult birds about to begin,
singing is stating to dwindle. However there is one species
whose easily-recognized, far-reaching and varied vocal
outpourings we thoroughly enjoy, the raven. Just yesterday we
watched a family group of two adults with their young twisting,
turning, diving, calling, and appearing to be enjoying the calm
sunny day aloft. We were left with the distinct impression that
the young ravens were "in school" learning from their
parents how to become grown-up birds.
The Perseid meteor shower this month hopefully will produce a
so-called storm of upwards of 100 per hour according to the
experts. Mark on your calendar Wednesday night, August
11th to the early hours of the 12th to be
the peak of this astounding astronomical phenomenon. Your very
best bet is to set your alarm clock for 1 A.M., retire early,
then arise to watch the northeastern sky from 1 A.M. until dawn
on Thursday. Fortunately, with ideal weather, the skies will be
dark and the moon, which will be only about 12 percent lit, will
not rise until 2 A.M.
Perhaps I make this claim every year, but the typical roadside
weeds this year are quite beautiful. The combination of Queen
Anne’s lace, chicory and common St.Johnswort, white, blue and
yellow, is very nice. Another favorite is now beginning to
flower, the butter-and-eggs. Add to that the blueweed or viper’s
bugloss, wild bergamot, black-eyed Susan and others and one can
find quite a range of colors, shapes and sizes.
Even though the numbers of nesting ospreys and bald eagles is
not high in Door County, several pairs of each have raised broods
this year. Fortunately both species appear to be increasing
annually in number. Nesting for both species began early, with
the eagle being the first to lay eggs. Young bald eagles will
remain in the nest for 70 to 98 days before fledging, while the
young ospreys will be on the wing between 48 and 59 days after
hatching.
Man-made structures, including tall light poles at a
recreational field, the end of an old rusting construction crane,
and two tall telephone relay towers, are included in these
raptor’s choice for nesting sites. We have always preferred to
give these birds a wide berth of privacy by staying away from
their nesting areas. Occasionally these birds nest close to
roadways where viewing is obviously very easy.
Picture August as a time when nature abounds in all
directions. What a perfect month for enjoying summer nature to
the hilt!
Colorful weeds of August include the blueweed, also called viper's bugloss.
This column appeared in the Door County Advocate
on 08/03/2004.
© Copyright 2004 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.
