Looking out over the grasslands there are several species of sunflowers, goldenrods, and asters putting on their annual flower show. They are announcing that school is about to start, the harvest has begun, and fall will soon take center stage. There is more going on during August than we may realize.
There may be some “Hot August Nights,” perhaps reminding some of you older listeners of the opening line from that Neil Diamond song from 1969, but by the end of the month there is often a feel of fall in the air and perhaps even a light frost in some areas.
The days, of course, are getting shorter. In Bismarck on the summer solstice back in June sunrise and sunset were 5:47 am and 9:43 pm respectively. By the end of the August it will be 7:00 am and 8:25 pm. That is a loss of about two-and-a-half hours of sunlight. And of course, the decrease will continue until the winter solstice in December.
The young of the year of many animals are dispersing from their family groups. Whitetail and mule deer bucks can be seen sporting their velvet covered antlers which will be put to use in determining who sires the next generation during the upcoming rut. And some birds (for example many of the shore birds) have already headed south for the winter while other migratory birds are beginning to form flocks and in other ways getting ready to heading out.
You may have noticed that the ducks on area marshes seem to have vanished for a bit. If they haven’t started to show up again, they will soon. They have been molting. They have been getting a whole new set of feathers to get ready for their migration. They cannot fly while molting, so they have been hiding out among the cattails and other vegetation. They will be ready to head south in due time.
Looking skyward there will be a full moon on the ninth. It is known as the Sturgeon moon which is reportedly a reference to this fish being more easily caught in and around the Great Lakes this time of year. It is also known as the Green Corn Moon and Grain Moon. And if you are interested in falling stars, the Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower will run through August 23 and the Perseids Meteor Shower will run until August 24, with its peak viewing period coming on the twelfth.
That is just a bit if what is going on during August. So as with other months of the year, get out and enjoy what nature has to offer.
