June is many things in the Northland. It is a time of long days, early sunrises and late sunsets. It is a time of rains, storms and heat. It is a time of growth on trees and lawns.
It is a time of bird's songs, baby ducks, deer fawns and turtles laying eggs on land. And it is a time of insects. For most residents, this means the swarms of black flies and mosquitoes that choose us for their procreative meal of blood, but there many more kinds of insects.
This is the time when our butterfly population becomes more numerous and diverse. Each week new ones appear. Monarchs and tiger swallowtails along with whites and sulphurs are butterflies early this month and they give way to crescents, checkerspots and fritillaries later.
By late month, we can see twenty kinds per day. But as numerous as they are, the butterflies don't get all the attention at this time. A few other likeable insects are out now too; often at night.
June is when we'll see the largest moths of the season. The giant Cecropia, Polyphemus, Promethea and Lunas may flutter against our windows while the first batch of fireflies light up the meadows and fields. And at the ponds and lakes, dragonflies creep out of the water and their youth to become active and versatile adults. Not as common as the month begins, they are abundant and varied by the end.
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The dragonfly story begins with the migratory green darners that arrived here in mid-April. During May, a few other kinds emerged and we might see the green-eyed emeralds or the small dot-tail and Hudsonian whitefaces.
By late May, the mid-sized brown four-spotted skimmers are among us as are the beaver pond baskettails. During June, our visits to the lake will see more dragonflies.
A common one now is dark with white patches on the shoulders and upper abdomen. The white stands out to explain the name of chalk-fronted corporal. Their markings and numbers make dragonfly watching now very easy.
Soon three more showy kinds appear in the wetlands and mid-month, we'll see whitetails, twelve-spotted skimmers and calico pennants. Each is mid-sized, as dragonflies go this means about one and half to two inches long.
Whitetails are obvious with long white abdomens and wings with a large black patch. Twelve-spotted skimmers, one of the most beautiful of the swamps gliders, has wings filled with alternating white and black spots.
Whitetails and twelve spots seem to demand out attention as they patrol the edges of their aquatic homes. Not as bright, but with wing blotches and a reddish or yellow abdomen, the pennants are a sight of their own. They frequently bask and fly in the meadows and fields near their territorial wetlands.
Dragonfly watching can continue for many more weeks in the summer and these June days get us off to a good start.
Larry Weber is author of the "Backyard Almanac." He lives in Carlton County and teaches natural science at Duluth's Marshall School.
