Full Moon of July Termed ‘Super Moon’ Due to Brigh
Full Moon of July Termed ‘Super Moon’ Due to Brightness
Submitted by Art & Barb Straub
Should you have missed the July 13-14 full moon, you missed a biggee! Unfortunately, we didn’t alert readers to the moon’s proximity to Earth on that date.. Due to cloud cover, we often miss celestial wonders, but the hazy sky proved no match for this month’s celestial phnomenon. The moon’s late rising at 9:37 put the kibosh on many folks viewing time, but it was not ‘just another’ full moon, due to startling orange tint as it rose; plus clearly viewed configuration of yon moon’s craters and rocky surface. Termed the ‘Buck Moon’ by the Algonquin Native Americans, this is the time of year when new antlers appear on buck deer. Sure enough, as illustrated by a recent photo contributed to the Independent, deer antlers with the velvet coating are now a common sight as deer graze with their kind in area grassy fields at dusk.
The solitude of the full moon’s wondrous evening was broken only by the shrieks and ‘whooshes’ of mating night hawks. Not hawks at all, as they have no sharp beak or razor talons; young 20-day old hatchlings are testing the heights, yet often failing. A juvenile was discovered in the courtyard of Ridgeview LeSueur Nursing and Rehab Center by an alert resident, stayed for two days on the building’s patio, was most likely fed by a caring parent bird, then disappeared. Another took up residence on a bank parking lot surface, remained for nine days, then took leave…either on its own or in a prowling feline’s abdomen.
A mindful Henderson observer experienced the first shrill song of a cicada tuning its wings in Henderson about July 17th. Because of their size, nighthawks, with their wide mouths, not beaks, would probably find a cicada too large to consume. In addition, the two creatures’ flight paths and behaviors would probably not cross. Oh, how we wish that night hawks would consume Japanese beetles! Recent arrival of these pesky insects has flower gardeners in a dither, and will remain bothersome for some time. The beetles, spending the winter underground as one-inch grubs, have a voracious appetite and emerged earlier than usual this year. A metallic green head/copper brown wing covers distinguishes the insect from June bugs and other harmless ‘mind-your-own-business’ bugs. When the adults emerge, they are ready to eat and mate in that order. Chow-down they will, especially upon the flowers/plants one especially cares about…in the case of these writers…roses. Their menu includes leaves and flowers of marigolds, zinnias, raspberries, apple trees, you name it. (If you appreciate the plant, they’ll eat it for you.) Best way to describe their eating habits – skeletization, followed by plant leaves falling off. They also damage grass turf while grubs, leaving dead patches in the lawn. Without using chemicals, our preferred quick and easy method of removing the pests is ‘pluck and drown.’ Should you squish them, the female’s sex pheromones travel through the air, attracting more adults.
Beetle removal experts continue to state strongly, “Don’t use beetle traps!” Traps often attract more beetles to your yard than they are worth. Thus, what can’t be cured, must be endured. Next week, an adventure with DRONES. WHAT?
