July 1st
The 182nd Day of the Year
I hear the wild bee wind his horn,
The bird swings on the ripened wheat
The long green lances of the corn
Are tilting in the winds of morn,
The locust shrills his song of heat.
John Greenleaf Whittier
Sunrise/set: 5:10/8:08
Day’s Length: 14 hours, 58 minutes
Average High/Low: 84/63
Average Temperature: 74
Record High: 98 – 1970
Record Low: 48 – 1899
The Daily Weather History
Today brings highs in the 90s twenty-five percent of the time, 80s fifty percent, 70s the rest. Rain falls 40 percent of the days, and skies are completely overcast one third of all the years.
The Weather in the Week Ahead
Although clouds are relatively rare through the end of June, they often become more frequent on the 1st and 2nd of July. Then, starting on the 3rd, the sun returns (between showers), and remains through the 11th. Temperatures are generally cooler than those of the previous week: The chance of 80s or 90s falls from 80 percent down to about 60 percent.
The July Outlook for the Lower Midwest
July is the most stable and predictable period in the year. At average elevations along the 40th Parallel, 85 percent of all the days reach above 80 degrees (35 percent in the 90s, and 50 percent in the 80s). The average highs and lows vary only one degree in the entire month throughout much of the United States. Temperatures reach above 100 up to five percent of the time in the Lower Midwest (although record highs above 100 have been recorded for almost every afternoon this month). Only ten percent of the next 30 days provide the likelihood for highs in the 70s, and 60s come just twice in a decade. Normal average temperatures usually fall one degree in the wake of the final July weather system, the first drop since late January, and the first of the thermometer’s many steps to winter.
An average of two to four inches of rain, most of it carried in seven or eight thunderstorms, typically falls between the last of June and the first of August. Precipitation is most common during the first two weeks of the month and at the beginning of the fourth week. Tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or prolonged periods of soggy pasture are most likely to occur within the weather windows of July 3 through the 7 and July 21 through 23. There are usually between three and five days each week suitable for fieldwork. The percentage of sunshine likely to be experienced on any July day is 70 percent.
Estimated Pollen Count
(On a scale of 0 – 700 grains per cubic meter)
Most of the pollen in the air this month continues to come from grasses.
July 1: 20
July 10: 15
July 20: 20
July 25: 25
July 30: 35
Estimated Mold Count
(On a scale of 0 – 7,000 grains per cubic meter)
Average mold counts for this month increase as heat intensifies; they then decline slightly as the days grow shorter.
July 1: 2400
July 10: 3400
July 20: 5600
July 25: 5400
July 30: 4000
Summercount
Between the last week of May through the first week of September, the 14 major cool fronts of summer cross the United States. As these high-pressure systems approach, temperatures and humidity typically rise. After the passage of the fronts, slightly cooler weather occurs, suitable for outdoor work and recreation, followed by up to a week of heat and humid conditions. July fronts reach the Mississippi around the following dates; they will come through about two days earlier in the West, a day or two later in the East.
July 6: Like the final front of June, the July 6th weather system is associated with the Corn Tassel Rains. Thunderstorms and overcast skies precede this front, often spoiling fireworks displays, sometimes bringing hail. The 6th itself is one of the driest days of the July’s first two weeks, but some of the wettest days in July come between the 2nd and the 13th. The evening following the passage of this barometric wave offers the best sleeping weather of the early Dog Days. The 10th of the month, however, begins a two-week period during which cool nighttime temperatures are rare.
July 14: The day preceding this front is likely to be the coolest and wettest of July. However, once the July 14th weather system passes through, conditions are more likely to be dry than wet. Often, heat intensifies. Temperatures are in the 80s and 90s most of the time, and highs above 100 are more likely to occur on July 15th and 16th than any other days of the year.
July 21: Once the July 21st high arrives, showers often put an end to midsummer drought, and cooler temperatures make the 22nd and 23rd some of the most welcome days of the month. Although moderate nights do not stay for long, the July 21st front could be considered one of the first meteorological signs of deterioration in the power of summer. But it is a sign easily missed: subsequent nights are warm, and the days are hot. The 24th has the fewest incidents of highs below 80 degrees of any day in the year, and record regional highs are not uncommon during this week.
July 28: Five years in ten, at least one afternoon in the 70s follows the late-July cool wave. Evening lows in the 50s, unusual only two weeks ago, often occur. And throughout the country, average high temperatures drop one degree on the 28th, their first drop since late January. Nevertheless, the Dog Days are not finished yet, and their power continues to hold for at least another two weeks.
Key to the Nation’s Weather
A typical July temperature at average elevations along the 40th Parallel, the average of the high of 85 and the low of 65, is 75 degrees. Using the following chart based on weather statistics from around the country, one can calculate approximate temperatures in other locations close to the cities listed.
For example, with the base of 75 one could estimate normal temperatures in Minneapolis by subtracting 2 degrees from the base average. Or add 7 degrees to find out the likely conditions in Atlanta during the month.
Fairbanks AK -15
Seattle, WA -12
Cheyenne WY -9
Portland, ME -7
Minneapolis MN -2
AVERAGE ALONG THE 40TH PARALLEL: 75
Washington D.C. +3
St. Louis MO +6
Atlanta GA +7
New Orleans LA +8
Miami FL +8
A Floating Sequence
For the Blooming of Shrubs, Trees, Wildflowers and Perennials
June 15: Large-Leaved Hostas
Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
June 16: White Sweet Clover (Melilotus albus)
Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus L.)
June 17: Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis)
Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans)
June 18: Japanese Iris (Iris ensata)
Narrow-Leaved Cattail (Typha latifolia)
June 19: Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
June 20: Pale Touch-Me-Not (Impatiens pallida)
June 21: Gooseneck (Lysimachia clethroides)
Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)
June 22: Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) Figwort (Scrophularia)
June 23: Catnip (Nepeta)
Ramps (Astilbe arendsii)
Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum)
June 24: Thimbleplant (Rubus parviflorus)
Wood Mint (Blephilia ciliate)
June 25: Bergamot (Monarda didyma)
Tall Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense)
June 26: Creeping Bell Flower (Campanula rapunculoides)
Heal All (Prunella)
June 27: Limelight hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
Lopseed (Parma leptostachya)
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
June 28: Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Leafcup (Polymnia laevigata beadle)
June 29: Fringed Loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliate)
Wild Lettuce (Lactuca virosa)
June 30: Teasel (Dipsacus)
July 1: Bouncing Bets (Saponaria officinalis)
Wood Nettle (Laportea canadensis)
Thin-Leaved Coneflower (Rudbeckia
triloba)
July 2: Mid-Season Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Tall Bell Flower (Campanula americana)
July 3: Oriental Lilies
Ginseng (Panax)
July 4: Liatris (Liatris spicata)
Grey-Headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
July 5: Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
July 6: White Vervain (Verbena urticifolia)
July 7: Oxeye (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)
Horseweed (Conyza canadensis)
July 9: Germander (Teucrium canadense)
Small-Flowered Agrimony (Agrimonia
parviflora)
July 10: Showy Coneflower (Rudbeckia alpicola)
July 11: Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
July 12: Fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora)
Great Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum reniforme or alternifolia)
July 14: Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia)
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
July 16: Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)
July 17: Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense)
July 18: Velvet Leaf (Abutilon theophrasti)
` Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
July 19: Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata)
Early Goldenrod (Solidago)
July 20: Resurrection Lily (Lycoris squamigera)
July 21: Burdock (Arctium lappa)
July 22: Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)
Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus)
Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)
July 23: Stonecrop Autumn Joy Sedum (Sedum telephium)
Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Turk’s Cap Lily (Lilium superbium)
Jimson Weed (Datura stramonium)
July 24: Field Thistle (Cirisium arvense)
Common Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)
July 25: Tall Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata)
Narrow-Leaved Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)
July 27: Biennial Gaura (Gaura biennis)
July 28: White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
July 29: Clearweed (Pilea pumila)
July 30: Jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana)
July 31: Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Pigweed (Amaranthus palmeri)
August 1: Mad-Dog Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)
Giant Yellow Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides)
August 2: Prickly Mallow (Sida spinosa)
Great Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)
August 3: Milk Purslane (Euphorbia maculate)
August 4: Willow Herb (Epilobium angustifolium)
August 5: Japanese Knotweed (Fallopian japonica)
August 7: Love Vine (Cassytha filiformis)
August 8: False Boneset (Brickellia eupatoriodes)
August 9: Bur Cucumber (Cucumis anguria)
August 10: Three-Seeded Mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea)
August 11: Water Horehound (Lycopus americanus)
August 12: Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima)
August 14: Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
July Phenology
When the first apple and cherry tree leaves become yellow and drift to the ground, alewives head back to sea from their estuaries along the Atlantic Ocean.
When road kills increase in summer, thunderstorms and intense Dog Day heat often follow.
When mimosa webworms appear on locust trees, potato leafhoppers reach economic levels in some alfalfa.
When teasel flowers along the roadsides and wood nettle blooms in the woods, then bagworms attack arborvitae, euonymus, juniper, linden, maple, and fir. Root diseases stalk the soybeans, and the wheat still standing in the fields sometimes suffers from rust, powdery mildew, head scab and glume blotch.
When elderberry flowers turn to fruit, then giant green June beetles appear in the garden, and poisonous white snakeroot is budding. Gardeners often dig their garlic then and plant their autumn turnips after they process their garlic.
When thimbleweed, blueweed, great Indian plantain, great mullein, milkweed, black-eyed Susan, columbine, red bleeding heart, dock, daisy fleabane, large black medic bush clover, yellow and white sweet clover, cow parsnip, blue-eyed grass and Hooker’s orchis flower in the Appalachians, then strawberry season is at its best in the Pacific Northwest.
When geese start getting restless, then the blueberry crop is thinning and summer apples will be about half picked.
When the first ears of corn are silking, then farmers bring in the winter wheat and canola. That’s when salmonberry bushes are in full bloom along the Columbia River and the last lilac bush flowers in the mountains of Alberta, Canada. Milkweed pods appear on the milkweed, those pods should burst is about 80 days at the approach of middle autumn.
When pokeweed has green berries, Japanese beetles are usually at their strongest in the soybeans and roses.
When morning birdsong diminishes and insect volume increases, then gardeners plant collard, kale and cabbage sets for fall.
When sycamore trees shed their bark, marking the center of summer, then tobacco farmers top their crop and peaches ripen across the Midwest.
When thistledown floats across the fields, then more wildflowers and weeds are blooming than at any other time of year. That is when many people complete the carrot harvest.
When hemlock and parsnips turn brown and brittle in the sun, then Early Summer’s clovers and grasses are past their prime.
Velvetleaf blooming in the fields announces the driest time of summer.
When wild cherries darken on the wild cherry trees, then potato leafhoppers could be causing serious damage to the potatoes.
When peaches ripen in the Midwest, then strawberries are coming in throughout Ontario, and peonies are flowering on homesteads along the northern rim of the Great Lakes.
When the foliage of multiflora roses is yellowing, then poisonous white snakeroot is budding in and around the woodlots.
When wild grapes ripen, then the dry onion harvest begins.
When the green fruit of the Osage orange is big and fat enough to come down in thunderstorm winds, then swallows congregate on the high wires, resting on their way south.
When Joe Pye weed sends out its purple flowers in the wetlands, then farmers are preparing for August seeding of alfalfa, smooth brome grass, orchard grass, tall fescue, red clover and timothy.
When late crickets start to chant, then a few Judas maples produce red and orange foliage, telling farmers to finish the cutting of winter grains.
When seedpods are fully formed on the trumpet creepers and green berries on the poison ivy, and when white vervain blossoms reach the end of their spikes, then katydids start shouting “katy-did” after dark.
When ragweed comes into bloom, then a few cottonwoods are turning pale with age.
When black walnut leaves start to fall, then Deep Summer is coming to and end, blue-winged teal and meadowlarks have begun their southward migration and pokeweed berries darken.
Natural Calendar
Timothy is bearded with seeds, and rose of Sharon comes into bloom. Autumn’s bird migrations begin as the rough-winged swallow flies south. The summer apple harvest, wheat harvest and the summer potato harvest are all underway throughout the country. Almost all the lilies are in bloom. The bright yellow primroses and spring daisies are gone. The shade-loving cohosh has its berries. The Corn Tassel Rains are gathering to the west, and days suitable for field and garden work often drop to two and a half or three out of seven. Sirius, the Dog Star lies centered in the southern sky at noon.
Daybook
1982: South Glen: White snakeroot with sizable buds, wood nettle with its first curled flowers, wingstem ready to open. White Queen Anne’s lace, blue chicory, red trumpet creeper, pink milkweed, yellow St. John’s wort, lavender wild petunia, golden black-eyed Susan, and green prickly teasel dominate the roadsides. Canadian thistles are gray, some thistle down starting to break loose and drift in the afternoon wind. Parsnips are brown, gone to seed, black raspberries declining now in the yard. I saw the first galls on the goldenrod. Daylilies are still strong. Mourning doves still heard. On the way to Wilberforce, the fields of grain and hay are brown. It’s really Deep Summer.
1983: End of the strawberries in the north garden. Catnip, motherwort, and great mullein bloom along the railroad tracks. Black raspberries in the yard are near their peak as the hemlock bows to set its seeds. Wheat fields are golden brown, black-eyed Susans opening along the freeway.
1985: South Glen: White snakeroot with huge buds, wood nettle with first flowers, wingstem ready, parsnips half to seed, but still flowering enough to make part of the field yellow, the other part white with daisy fleabane. Wild onions flowering. Virginia roses still in bloom. Only a few honewort left. Pale bouncing bets, pink wild petunias along the path. Prickly buckeye fruit an inch in diameter hanging from the trees. Past the Covered Bridge, bottle grass is at its peak and toughening. Tonight: fireflies thick under the almost-full moon.
1989: Blue jays restless, probably protecting their young. Now the coneflowers and violet mallow and great mullein in the south garden are tall and in full bloom. Grapes a half an inch in diameter, rose of Sharon budding, pie cherries old. Past the Covered Bridge, the soft shade grasses are going to seed, still tender and delicate. Fireflies were thick tonight in the dark of the moon.
1990: Blue jays stealing the last of the cherries all day in the back yard. Red, yellow, orange, pink lilies keep opening. Astilbe gone now, Rugosa roses still full.
1996: The first purple coneflower opened in the sun today, and the first of the new golden heliopsis. Orange lychnis holds in the south garden, but the yellow primroses have gone. Now it’s tall mallow season, and the purple loosestrife has opened along the north garden. Queen Anne’s lace also bloomed, and the first yarrow has turned almost completely yellow. Maybe half the Asiatic lilies are in bloom, only a few past their prime. Our daylilies are just starting, but the wild varieties in the Glen and in the village have been at full bloom for a week or more. The first zinnias have blossomed here, but the cosmos were a week to ten days ahead and now are coming on fairly well. Japanese beetles arrived on schedule on June 30th. Cottony alder psyllids (what I call “fuzz bugs”) appearing on the lilies. At one house along Xenia Avenue in Fairborn, the entire front yard is full of Shasta daisies and yellow coneflowers. Along Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, Canadian thistles going to seed, and a few nodding thistles; elderberry bushes full bloom.
1998: Blue darners have been at the pond for the past few days, and now a pale almost transparent damselfly.
1999: The birds are quiet today, but the frog speaks out in the rain under the dark sky, exults with a complex, descending call.
2001: Water willow season closes in the pond.
2002: Tillamook, Oregon: The last rhododendron flowers combine with the blackberry flowers to accentuate a floral time zone similar to late May or early June in Yellow Springs. In coastal gardens, a few iris blossoms are holding. Along the roads, wild cucumber, cow parsnip, and bright fireweed found in lush full bloom.
2003: In the muggy morning, the robins got up late, didn’t start their chirping until about 4:10. One cardinal sang briefly at 4:20 a.m., a clear strong call, but then he was silent. Doves and distant cardinals joined the chorus about 4:40, the same time they’ve been coming in since early June.
2004: Two bats seen at 5:50 this morning. Jeanie reports hearing the first of the annual cicadas this morning.
2005: From Key West, Florida north to Georgia: Wedelia, Spanish needles, and coatbuttons identified in Key West. At Sanibel Island, inkberry shrub (with its half-flowers), railroad vine (Ipomoea pescaprae), salt marsh fleabane and tickseed photographed. One elderberry bush had soft, ripe berries as well as new white flowers. Crepe myrtles in full bloom from Florida north through Georgia.
2006: I went to the back door this morning at 4:00 and no birds were singing. About five minutes later, a cardinal sang but then was silent. By about 4:20, the robins finally woke up and began their chorus. Riding downtown this afternoon, I saw rose of Sharon open near the post office. Trumpet creepers have been blooming about a week. One black walnut, about half size, picked by the church this evening.
2007: Three more Japanese beetles found. Birds quiet during the day. Only sparrows, cardinals, finches and doves at the feeders.
2008: Japanese beetles increasing on the ferns, half a dozen killed this morning. Green-bottle flies have been more common in the garden this year; sometimes I mistake them for the beetles. Red-bellied woodpecker called this morning around 9:00. The water plantain opened by the pond this afternoon.
2009: Osage fruit is almost tennis-ball size. Violet monarda starting, Joe Pye and butterfly bush are budding. Tree lilies opened overnight. Penstemon has new leaves, three to six inches. Baby dove by the bird feeder. Constant robin peeping throughout the day, including morning peeping instead of singsonging.
2010: The cats found another young robin this morning, and I caught them in time – once again. More red admirals at the butterfly bush today – more seen this year than in many years. At the Indian Mound with Jeff: some tall bellflowers and wingstem open, several ironweed stalks at the top of the mound had purple buds. In the north garden, violet monarda has joined the red monarda in full bloom. Joe Pye weed buds are getting big. More lilies are coming in, including full bloom of the yellow tree lilies.
2011: Bird song quieter this morning, but two starling fledglings were begging under the bird feeder around 9:00. After sunrise, birdsong came in waves, surges of cardinals and sparrows and chickadees and the blue jay and grackles, then almost silent, then swelling again. Raspberries coming in slowly in the garden patches. One question mark butterfly and one tiger swallowtail came by today.
2012: Cardinals strong in the morning and in the evening. Heat wave continuing, power out for thousands along the East Coast after the “wind hurricane” of the 29th. And another powerful storm came through late in the afternoon, almost like the last one, strong wind, heavy rain, black skies. Tat reports that Wisconsin had the driest June in history.
2014: Nineteen lilies in bloom today. Monarda completely full bloom, two orange zinnias flower. The first Shasta daisies are opening in Don’s garden. Moya’s rose of Sharon has two flowers: it is full Deep Summer.
2018: A strong heat wave has built up over the past week, afternoons in the nineties and high humidity. This morning before breakfast, a summer comma butterfly visited the knotweed leaves, spread its wings to the Sun. Steady chirping of sparrows. Crows restless and vocal, their young with immature voices, sounding a little like squirrels but without sharp rise at the end of their phrases.. Four zinnias have opened now, a couple of giant Mexican sunflowers. Monarda, Shasta daisies, spiderwort, purple coneflowers, great blue hostas, standard midseason hostas, Anna Belle hydrangeas and lilies (91 day lily, 28 ditch lily blossoms) all flowering. Deer took half a dozen lily buds in the night. Many milkweed plants have quickly completed their high bloom, the heady fragrance of a couple of days ago gone. In the North Glen, wood nettle is only starting to send out its flower stalks. Hobblebush hydrangeas are the only obvious flowers under the canopy. At Jill’s, the first thin-leafed coneflower and purple phlox opened.
2020: Return to Yellow Springs from the Finger Lakes region of New York: Twenty-seven day lilies in flower, 82 ditch lilies. Lizard’s tail full flower by the koi pond.
Look at this beautiful world, and read the truth
In her fair page; see every season brings
New change to her of everlasting youth–
Still the green soil, with joyous living things
Swarms — the wide air is full of joyous wings.
William Cullen Bryant