July Nature Happenings 

   Ruby-throated Hummingbird

  • NABA National Butterfly count.
  • Hummingbird Moths, often mistaken for “baby hummingbirds," show up at plants.
  • Highbush Cranberry and Viburnum start producing fruit and will continue until December.
  • First brood of immature hummingbirds begin to show up at nectar feeders early in the month.
  • Cicadas start calling early in the month.
  • Thistle plants begin to seed; goldfinches gather thistledown for nesting material.
  • Mallards and Wood Ducks molt into "eclipse" plumage and are unable to fly for several weeks.
  • Fall migration starts this month with returning shorebirds.
  • Blackbirds begin to flock and appear at feeders.
  • Listen for the feeding screeches of young Barred and Great Horned Owls.
  • Look for hummingbirds feeding on Trumpet Creeper and Jewelweed flowers.
  • Delta Aquarids Meteor shower peaks in late-July.