Kaw Valley Almanac

When it gets too hot and dry, some animals aestivate, a type of summer hibernation where they typically hole up in the ground and wait for cooler, moister conditions.

Now is the time to enjoy the purple wildflower called gayfeather or blazing star.

There are still wild raspberries and blackberries for the picking, check currants, wild plums and gooseberries, while elderberries are beginning to form and will be ripening in a few weeks.

Wildflower fireworks continue, including yellow black-eyed susans, red butter-fly milkweed and purple prairie clover. This Independence Day, celebrate by visiting a prairie near you to appreciate how everything is really delightfully interdependent!

Many animals are becoming more nocturnal to beat the heat these days, and with the waxing moon, expect more night activity, so be careful when you drive in the country after dark.

Recent rains have begun a significant increase in fruiting mushrooms which will only increase as temperatures warm. There are more than 400 mushroom species in Kansas, so keep an eye out for a wide variety of these fungi in coming weeks.

There’s been lots of publicity about 17-year cicadas in the Northeast U.S. emerging this year, but the local “Kansas” Brood IV emerged in 2015 and won’t reappear again until 2032.

In area woodlands, black locusts and May apples are blooming as are strawberries, while wild cherry blossoms are winding down.