Nature Happenings

• Cicadas start calling.
• Watch local ponds for immature herons and bitterns.
• First brood of immature hummingbirds begin to show up at nectar feeders early in the month.
• Thistle plants begin to seed; goldfinches gather thistledown for nesting material.
• Blackbirds begin to flock and appear at feeders.
• Listen for the feeding screeches of young Barred and Great Horned Owls.
• Shorebird migration starts.
• Butterfly milkweed in bloom. Look for Monarch Butterfly adults, eggs and larva.
• Look for hummingbirds feeding on Trumpet Creeper, Jewelweed and Cardinal flowers.
• Delta Aquarids Meteor shower peaks in late-July.