June's Nature Happenings

Birds Settle Down

Mallards

♦ Bird migration finishes – birds here now are summer residents that nest
♦ As month progresses, feeders become busy with parents bringing fledglings 
♦ House Wren begin nesting - look for false nests made of sticks
♦ Wood Duck and Mallard ducklings hatch and venture forth (early)
♦ Canada Geese begin molting

Evening Serenade

♦ Bullfrogs begin calling
♦ Crickets begin nightly serenade

Mammals

♦ Fawns continue to be born (5/15 - 6/15)
♦ Bats give birth
♦ Young woodchucks and raccoons emerge and venture forth with their mothers

Other Critters

♦ Spotted salamander larvae transform and juveniles move on to their terrestrial habitats during rainy nights
♦ Five-lined, southeastern five-lined, and broadhead skinks are nesting - these lizards will remain with their eggs until they hatch 

Tidy Up

♦ Keep birdbaths clean and mosquito free!  
♦ Keep feeders clean and seed fresh

Flowers and Blossoms

♦ Watch for butterflies at blooming Coreopsis and butterfly weed 
♦ Look for Summer blooms: Bottlebrush Buckeye, Fire Thorn, Southern Magnolia, Catalpa, Bush Honeysuckle, Coreopsis, Fleabane, Wintergreen, Spiderwort
♦ Trumpet Vine, a great hummmingbird attractor, starts blooming
♦ Venus flytraps in bloom in the Southeastern coastal plain

Events

♦ Summer solstice on June 21st. The Earth's northern pole will be tilted closest to the sun at this time and the sun will be at its highest point in the sky.