New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

Summer is to arrive here in about twenty minutes I believe (it's 11:20 am). So today is the longest day of the year. Right? But it has actually started off yet again cloudy, rainy and pretty cool. 60's so far. Not really feeling like the start of a summer's day.

 

We have plenty of spring flowers still in bloom around the house. With all the rain we have had this spring everything is so lush and green. I see that the local dairy farmer has yet to cut several of his hay/silage fields. Its been just too darn wet I guess. But his silage corn crop seems to be growing well. I hope so.

 

My garden has been slow to respond this spring. The potatoes are about the only thing doing well. I just replanted my sweet corn for the third time this week. The cucumbers came up so, so. I planted another whole row of them this week. The cool rainy weather has helped my tomato plants survive the planting process. But they have not grown much. My pear and apple trees don't have much fruit growing on them. Maybe it was too cold for the pollinators?

 

Animal wise I am still seeing turkeys daily, but still have not seen a brood of polts. No deer seen in a while either. I did catch the woodchuck that has been clipping off our flowers around the house and took him to greener pastures. Woodchucks have not been a common thing in my yard over the years.

 

With July coming up we should start thinking toads and bats. We should think of July as Toad Month. The eggs that were laid about a month ago hatched in a week or so. And then it takes a month and a half for them to grow land legs. In my past experience here in Epsom the Toad March of the baby toads happens about the third week of July. Now these are tiny toads. Two or three would fit into a thimble. But they swarm out of the water in a huge wave that usually passes across my lawn late July.

 

So this is a good time to take a walk on your lawn before you mow. If it is swarming with baby toads give them a couple days to pass. And any time of summer it is a good idea to not have your lawn mower set too low. Last years young toads are around your lawn gobbling up all manners if insects. So Keep Your Lawnmower up HIGH. Most toads only live a year or two but a big mother of a toad might be in her teens. Some do live that long. And also thinking of all those baby toads. Maybe you could just skip that application of poison on your lawn this month. Why risk it with all these toddler toads crossing your lawn. Give em' a break from poison this month. Let July be poison free.

 

Baby bats will be learning to fly by mid to late July. They can end up almost any place. Even in your kitchen. Put on some gloves and simply scoop them up in a nice towel and give a toss outside.

 

If you are in Central NH this will be happening in the times that I have laid out. In Connecticut it'll happen a couple weeks sooner and in Maine and Northern NH a couple to three weeks later. So be thinking toads and bats in July.