Sky Events June 2021: On the 10th of June, the Moon will be invisible and if you are a curious sky gazer, this is the time to observe faint objects such as galaxies, constellations and star clusters. June 21st prompts the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere and first day of winter (winter solstice) in the Southern Hemisphere. On June 24th, the moon becomes a “supermoon” as it is much closer to the Earth, it will have a much brighter and larger appearance than usual.
Tides:
1st to 9th June - Neap
10th to 14th June - Spring
15th to 21st June - Neap
22nd to 29th June - Spring
Positive Ecological Restoration News:
Bees are now citizens in Costa Rica
By the next few decades, the UN has estimated that almost 70% of humanity will be
living in large urban areas. This stark reality requires major re-thinking in how to design new urban areas. One such inspiration comes from the Mayor Edgar Mora. His town Curridabat is a suburb to the capital San Jose in Costa Rica. Where he has, in this own words: “converted every street into a bio-corridor and every neighbourhood into an ecosystem.” The town offered citizenships to pollinators, trees and native plants, therefore giving them rights and full protection to live out their lives. This transformed an unremarkable suburb, successfully uniting urban life with nature and people enjoying a town with a rich wild haven for wildlife and recreational activities.
Major restoration of the Pinheiros River in Sao Paolo, Brazil
The Pinheiros River running through most of Sao Paulo is locally known to have less water than sewage. The smell of this water drifts through the streets on hot humid days. An estimated 100,000 tons of plastic and rubbish gather as small hills on the banks. The restoration of this river is a major restoration programme and it has now begun in earnest and it is expected to be finished by 2022.
A moth brought back from extinction
Butterfly Conservation has reported that a threatened species in Britain, the Barberry Carpet moth has been saved from its habitat in Dorset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire. A great pioneering conservation project called “Back from the Brink” (funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund) worked with biologists, enthusiasts and partners to boost the moth’s habitat. The key to its success was to plant 4,000 Barberry shrub plants across 169 sites, 44 in Dorset and 125 in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
Soaring bald eagles in America
The very icon of America, the bald eagle, has almost quadrupled in numbers since last decade with now more than 71,400 nesting pairs in the 2019 breeding season alone. This work has been due to federal conservation efforts and protections and also the ban on DDT. Deb Haaland said that the growth of the species “is also a moment to reflect on the importance of the Endangered Species Act, a vital tool in the efforts to protect America’s wildlife”.
Nature notes: June 2021
This month brings the longest days of the year. A month to bring out the garden furniture and the ragged tablecloth for a small gathering, in perfect sync to the easing of lockdown. The meaning of the name June is: Young. In Roman mythology Juno was the Goddess of Marriage and Love, in modern times June is therefore known as the bridal month, a time for weddings and church bells. The hedgerows this month will be full of herbs to forage, especially look out for lemon balm, wild fennel, watercress, spearmint, cleavers and wild strawberries. One spectacular visitor this month is the painted lady butterfly floating in on a warm southern breeze from Africa. Out of sight and in high altitudes the butterflies are journeying onwards to their 6,000km destination, the Arctic circle. They will at times touch down on the ground to mate and try and lay their eggs on a thistle plant. Look out for their courtship dance, which happens closer to the ground. Up to eight butterflies will dance and flutter around each other, looking for a suitable mate. Once they reach the Arctic they fly back again to Africa. The entire round trip of 12,000km takes about six generations to complete. How the parents teach their young or how they find their way through the ferocious storms above the clouds is largely unknown. Let it remain a mystery.