And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet and learn to be at home.

Wendell Berry

NOTES FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF EARLY SUMMER
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK OF THE NATURAL YEAR
WHEN TULIP AND CATALPA TREES AND THISTLES AND HOLLYHOCKS BLOOM,
WHEN CEDAR WAXWINGS FEED ON THE MULBERRIES AND ALL THE GRACKLE FLEDGLINGS LEAVE THE NEST

The Duckling and Gosling Moon, full at 6:07 p.m. on May 27, wanes throughout the remainder of the period, entering its final quarter on June 4 at 5:13 p.m.
Jupiter remains in Pisces as the morning star. Venus in Cancer is the evening star. Mars stays in Leo in the far west after sunset. Saturn, in Virgo, continues to pursue Mars into the Indiana horizon.

THE COURSE OF EARLY SUMMER
In Early Summer’s first week, lilies and thistles bloom, mulberries ripen, cedar waxwings migrate north, box turtles lay eggs, and winter wheat turns pale gold green. Cucumber beetles appear in the cucumber patch, hollyhocks and purple coneflowers open in the dooryards, and blue chicory flowers in the waysides. Catalpas and privets and pink spirea bloom as the first cutting of hay gets underway. Nodding thistles, Canadian thistles, the first chicory, first daisy fleabane, the first great mullein, the first Asiatic lily, the first orange trumpet creeper and the first tall meadow rue open.

Early Summer’s second week brings moth mullein, wild garlic, crown vetch and quickweed into bloom along the highways. Heliopsis and delphinium blossom beneath the new white petals of the oakleaf hydrangea. The mornings become quieter now, but young grackles beg for food from their parents all day. Canadian geese are molting. Firefly time starts in average years. Giant cecropia moths emerge. The first monarch butterfly caterpillars feed on carrot tops and parsley. Black and red raspberries start their season, and blackberries set their fruit.

The darkening of the winter wheat measures the steady advance of the season, and the third week of Early Summer brings the first harvest in the warmest years. When the wheat is golden brown, chiggers roam the woods, and Japanese beetles enjoy the field and garden. Lilies and hostas and Shasta daisies, hollyhock and mallow color the garden. Smartweed, blueweed, Queen Anne’s lace and sow thistles brighten the roadsides. Red berries appear on the honeysuckle. Pie cherries are ready to pick. Black walnuts and goslings are about half grown.

The full harvest of winter wheat marks the final week of Early Summer, the time when shining orange butterfly weed opens and acorns become fully formed. Sycamore bark starts to shed all along the rivers. Thistle flowers change to down as hemlock season closes. Along the backroads, parsnip heads brown in the sun. Privet is done blooming along the streets of the village. In wetlands and ditches, the soft heads of cattails are full of pollen.