June- a Month of Richness in Nature

trumpeter threesmall Well,  if I have trouble narrowing down what I want to write about every month so it will fit the column, you can imagine the anguish I am experiencing for June! June is such a month of richness in nature–incredible sights, sounds and smells are all around us this month.
    As I sit writing this column, there is a female snapping turtle in my driveway. I have been watching her for several hours off and on. For some time she was over in a neighbours’ driveway scratching hopelessly in their very compacted gravel driveway. During the first half of June female snapping turtles must leave the security of their pond to find a suitable place to dig a nest and lay their eggs. But because so much of their habitat is now “humanized” (think of the compacted gravel driveway! mine’s asphalt!) there are far fewer suitable places to nest. Aside from the difficult task of finding a suitable place, many dangers await these mother turtles, especially cars and predators. But my turtle may have actually found a suitable spot. I have a pile of pea gravel on my driveway, the remains from a much larger pile I have used. She is in it digging. I may have to postpone any ideas I had for that gravel!
    Many of you, like me, have been enjoying the chorus of frogs at night. Earlier it was Spring Peepers and toads, but now the nights are warmer it is Grey Treefrogs and Green Frogs. Strangely, early this month BOTH Spring Peepers and Grey Treefrogs were calling together. And on one very singular night I heard a toad joining in. The weather must have them confused as well! If you listen closely to the riotous sound made by the treefrogs you  may hear another odd sound, a plaintive squeak, squeak. This is the “release call” of a male who has been mistakenly grasped by another male. How embarrassing!
    On one evening early this month I was out taking the dog for his last walk before bed, and was enjoying the chorus of frogs calling, when I noticed the first fireflies. These small bursts of light always take me by surprise when I see them for the first time each year (and yes, I often think my eyes are playing tricks on me!). This is a silent, beautiful spectacle that always evokes summers from my childhood. The magical, silent twinkling is in stark contrast to the raucous sounds of the treefrogs. But talk about a sound and light show!
    Some of you may remember the swans I wrote about in January. On May 25 a friend phoned me to alert me to swans being on the pond again.  I grabbed my binoculars and raced out the door.  I found the pair and watched them with interest for some time.  I was certain they were different from the ones in January; well, certain until I really started thinking about it–and then totally uncertain when a friend sent me photos of them.  I compared the photos from January and then was totally flummoxed. In January I had confidently named them as Whistling Swans (also known as Tundra Swans). You see, my old edition of Peterson’s A Field Guide to the Birds (1980) has no other native swan (only the introduced and very recognizable Mute Swan). But delving into my recently acquired ROM Field Guide to Birds of Ontario (2001) tells me that there is a second native swan, the Trumpeter Swan.  When I compare photos of the two sightings I am inclined to think they are both Trumpeter Swans. And friends who heard these birds calling in May tell me it sounded very much like trumpets! Drew Monkman spoke at the last meeting of the local garden club and he reported that Trumpeter Swans are indeed becoming more common. They are a  spectacular addition to our millpond. See attached photo. In it you can see how much larger they are than Canada Geese.
    The swallows are a continuing source of joy as they swoop over the millpond. I see three kinds: House, Barn and Bank Swallows. Just today on my morning walk I stood near one of the birdhouses that the House Swallows are using and watched in amazement as several swallows fluttered around the house. They looked rather like butterflies. I think they were trying to entice the young to leave the nest. Now, I wonder if they were all the same family with only one young in the house unwilling to leave? Or were all the local parents coming to help get the kids out of the house?
    Walking home from the GO bus stop the other day I was very pleased to see a kind of swallow I haven’t seen in years. Swooping over a field were three Cliff Swallows.  They look like rather chunky Barn Swallows without the “swallow tail”. This swallow makes the most amazing nest out of clay pellets.  The shape is usually describe as “jug-like”.  It’s not at all like a Barn Swallow’s, which is the usual saucer shape.  Where are they nesting, does anybody know?  And on that GO bus trip I spied a male Purple Martin when the bus was just south of Orono.  I haven’t seen one for years.  Does anybody know of a colony of them still nesting anywhere nearby?
    Finally, the gardens are looking their best. June in the garden is such a rich time.  Most plants seem to be programmed to bloom in June, I suppose in order to be able to set seed before the end of summer.  So for those of us with perennials in the garden, it is not at all difficult to have a beautiful June garden.  The Black Locust trees are in bloom right now and I haven’t seen such a heavy bloom in years.  The scent carries quite a distance and is wonderful.  I can wander around my garden for hours–not getting anything done (!) but simply enjoying the sights and smells.  The hummingbirds whizz through my garden, squeaking as they zip along. They often stop at one of the feeders or at a columbine or iris in bloom.  With all the rain we’ve been getting everything is amazingly lush. But along with the damp lushness the slug population is climbing. You take the good with the bad!
Get out! And enjoy!

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