Outdoor Almanac

This August, listen for young Eastern Screech-Owls, search for Ghost Pipes pushing up through leaf litter, follow the Monarch Butterflies, and more. 

What will you discover this August? Visit a nearby wildlife sanctuary or join a program to make the most of your month.

AUGUST

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After dark, look for large, light-green Luna Moths near porch lights; this adult phase only lasts for a week.

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A few days after rain, look for Ghost Pipe plants blooming among the roots of trees in the forest. These small, colorless, flowering plants have no chlorophyll and get their nutrients from the fungi that live on tree roots.

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Listen for the trills or whinnies of Eastern Screech-Owls calling as the young of the year leave their nests and search for territories.

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Cedar Waxwings are finishing up nesting now. As one of the latest nesters in New England, they take advantage of August’s ripening fruits.  

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The Perseid meteor shower can be seen from late July to the end of August but peaks now. After midnight, shooting stars, as many as 100 per hour, flare through the darkened sky.

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On rainy days in wooded areas, look for Red Efts (juvenile Eastern Newts) on roots and rocks.

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Monarch butterflies are toxic to birds, and their orange and black coloring serves as a warning to birds that have tried to eat one. Check out all the other orange and black insects on milkweeds. Most of them are not toxic, but birds that have eaten a monarch are inclined to avoid all similarly colored insects.

This August, fly farther into the world of Monarch Butterflies with fun facts, downloadables, programs, and more. Go wild for Monarch Butterflies

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Look for the 1-inch round, white, pincushion-looking flowers of buttonbush along the edges of wetlands. Get closer to see the bees, butterflies, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that flock to them for their nectar. Later, the seeds will be food for ducks and shorebirds.

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American Mink patrol wetlands for fish, frogs, and crayfish, their main summer diet.

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Green Herons can be seen hunting patiently in water bodies as they spread out from their nesting sites. They employ a unique hunting tactic where they drop bait, such as an insect, on the water’s surface, grabbing the fish it attracts.

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You may hear a cluster of coyotes howling during the night, but that doesn’t mean the area is filled with these canines. Most howls come from a few adults trying to locate each other or warning outsiders to stay off their territory, or from pups practicing how to howl with their parents.  

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Full Moon  

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Watch for flocks of migrating shorebirds, including Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper, in muddy estuaries, along the coast, or in lakes and reservoirs. Most of these birds breed in the Arctic and spend winters in Central and South America. Adults come through first, followed by this year’s juveniles.  

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Many animals have mastered the art of disguise, Wood Frogs included. These earthy colored frogs camouflage perfectly in the dead leaves of the forest floor, where they live most of the year.