Call it late spring or early summer, the first half of June has its unique sights and sounds. Approaching the longest days of the year, heat is building but has yet to take a toll on the rich greenery of the Midwest; indeed, much to the delight of lawn companies, grass is growing at a fevered pace. Since the jet stream has not yet settled across Canada, waves of milder air fend off the oppressive heat of mid summer and thunderstorm season peaks in the Heartland.
Mornings still provide a varied chorus of birdsong, punctuated by the lively chatter of house wrens and the ringing "wheeps" of great crested flycatchers. Down at our local wetland preserve, yellow-billed cuckoos have returned from their winter in South America, just in time to feast on the first crop of caterpillars, and armies of toadlets are leaving the seasonal ponds to begin their lives on terra firma. Amidst the wet prairie, pockets of summer wildflowers, including Indian blanket, purple coneflowers and black-eyed susans signal a shift toward the hot, drier months ahead.
Against a backdrop of greenery, suburban color is provided by daylilies, yuccas and a variety of roses. Elderberry is in bloom, the staghorns of the sumac are taking on a reddish tinge and the first mimosa blossoms adorn the canopy. Cottontails feast in carpets of clover and, at dusk, fireflies delight children (and adults) as they flash across the darkening landscape. But the brilliant colors of spring have faded, insects have reclaimed the throne and the gauntlet of July and August lies ahead; by comparison, the heat waves of June will have seemed rather tame.
