As June arrives, we can expect the first fireflies of the season as the evenings begin to warm up. Some seasons are more productive for an abundance of fireflies than others and we are hoping this will be a great season for them.
As we move into June, the number of fireflies should increase as the evenings get warmer. Usually the twilight hour between 8 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. is the peak hour for the frequency of fireflies. After 9:30 p.m. each evening, their number seems to decrease.
By the time July Fourth arrives, we approach the peak season of the fire flies. As Dog Days arrive their numbers decrease because of the heat and humidity. During the first nights of June, the number of fireflies may be sparse, but their numbers will steadily increase as the month’s days get warmer. Temperature and the humidity have an effect on the activity of the fireflies.
We don’t know if herbicides or pesticides and other chemicals have a negative effect on the number of fireflies each season or if insect control has an effect on their numbers or their reproduction. We are certainly hoping for a wonderful year of fireflies.
The firefly has a scent with a purpose
As a kid spending much of summer at my grandma’s house in Northampton County in northeastern North Carolina, fireflies were so abundant that they would fly in front of you and a reach of the hand would yield a firefly. Every June evening, every child in the neighborhood would have a quart mason canning jar in their hands and head for the huge sawdust pile near the front of grandma’s house. They were so plentiful that in just a short time that you could fill up a jar with fireflies.
We would keep the jar in the bedroom and the next morning, grandma made us release them in the front yard. We always wondered why the fireflies always had such an unusual scent. As we grew older, we discovered that scent was to protect them from being devoured by other insects. The scent repelled other insects by sending a message for them to move on that they were not good food. We also believe their bio-luminescence that causes their unusual glow also has a negative influence on insect enemies.
June is doorway to garden of summer
May is now over and with the arrival of June, soil temperatures are getting warmer and so are the nights. All warm weather vegetables can be sown or set out including tomato and pepper plants as well as Lima beans and egg plants. Keep setting out a few tomato plants each week for as long as you can find some healthy plants.
Starting late tomato plants from seed
The way to enjoy late summer tomatoes is to start several packets of tomatoes from seed in mid-June. Best varieties for late summer harvests are Rutgers, Early Girl, Marglobe, Big Bay, Better Boy, and Beefsteak.
Use a four pound bag of Jiffy seed-starter by Ferry-Morse or Miracle-Gro seed starter. Use several flower pint containers and measure a pot of seed-starter in each container for each packet of seed. Mix all the medium together in a bucket and moisten the seed-starter and refill the containers and reserve enough of the seed starter to cover each packet of seeds.
Spread a packet of seeds in each container and cover with a layer of moistened seed-starting medium. Repeat with the other seed packets. Use a spray bottle such as glass cleaning spray comes in and apply a light spray each day. Keep containers in a semi-sunny location in the carport or backside of the porch. Label each container of tomatoes. In about eight to ten days they will develop two leaves and be ready to transplant to individual containers.
Mix a bag of seed-starter and add water to moisten it. Punch a hole in the filled containers and use your index finger to punch a hole in the medium and place one healthy plant in the hole and pinch the medium to make soil contact. Label each container of plants. Spray with water each day and keep them from direct sunlight. They should be ready to transplant to garden in about two weeks.
A Dragon Wing begonia container
There are many varieties and colors of begonias and the most unusual are the Dragon Wings with their clusters of hot pink flowers and oblong-shaped foliage. These begonias produce a display of color and dark green huge leaves that cascade over their container and continually produce clusters of blooms all the way until frost
Making ground chuck-olive casserole
This is a ground chuck-olive casserole with plenty of flavor for a warm spring evening. For this simple recipe you will need: one pound ground chuck, one can tomato sauce (eight ounce), one envelope of Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion soup mix, one cup mozzarella cheese (finely shredded), one cup of green stuffed olives, two cups cooked and drained wide noodles, one pack croutons any flavor. Brown chuck and Recipe Secrets Soup mix. Add tomato sauce and shredded cheese and heat until cheese melts. Add olives and cooked noodles. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, place croutons in a stick of melted light margarine and stir. Spread on top of the casserole and brown three minutes and add half cup of mozzarella cheese and melt on top.
Getting the deck prepared for summer
With the days and nights warming up, the deck can be prepped for summer evenings outside. One of the first items to perform is to nail dawn all loose nails that have worked their way up during harsh winter days. Use chlorine bleach to wash mildew from the deck umbrella and chair cushions and rinse them with fresh water. Coat the deck with an application of water repellent stain or covering if necessary. Check the grill and clean the grate with a metal brush. Consider a vinyl table cover for the deck table. Buy a Boston fern or snake plant for the center of the deck table to prevent wind from blowing the table cover. A citronella lamp is also a handy item for the summer deck as well as humming bird feeder.
Caging and staking pepper plants
As you set out sweet and hot peppers, it is a great idea to stake and cage them to prevent wind and storms from blowing them over. They will also make it cleaner and easier to harvest the peppers during summer.
Careful watering the zinnia bed
The zinnias are now producing a lot of foliage as June gets warmer. They will soon be producing plenty of colorful flowers. When you water zinnias use a water wand in spray mode and water the bottom of the zinnias and not the foliage. This will help prevent powdery mildew on the foliage and promote colorful blooms.
Hoe hoe hoedown
“Burnt offerings.” Sunday School Teacher: “In our lesson this morning we talked about burnt offerings offered in the Old Testament. Why don’t we have burnt offerings today?” Young student: “Because of air pollution.”
“Love and Marriage.” There are two things that cause unhappy marriages. Men and women.
“Tale of Two Marriages.” Tim says he got married because he was tired of going to the laundromat, eating at the diner, and wearing socks with holes in them. Jim says he got divorced for the same reasons!
The almanac for June
The new moon will occur on Thursday, June 6, and D-Day will be remembered on this day also. The moon will reach its first quarter on Friday, June 14. Flag Day will also be celebrated on Friday, June 14. We will celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16. The first full day of summer will be Friday, June 21.
The moon will be full on the night of Friday, June 21, and will be named Full Strawberry Moon. Other names for the full moon of June are Full Hoe Moon and Full Hot Moon. It will rise after sunset and may look “strawberry pink” or apple blossom white. The moon reaches its last quarter on Friday, June 28.
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