15 St Swithin's Day falls on 15 July every year. The Bishop of Winchester in the old English capital of Wessex died in 862. Thanks to a nifty piece of early meteorological forecasting, rain on that day is said to herald 39 more of the same.
Diversion No. 1
Young male crickets have more sex but are less attractive than their older peers, suggests The Daily Mail, citing recent research. University of Exeter scientists studied insects to see if age affected their appeal--and found younger males have a harder time enticing females back to their burrows.
The Japanese garden art of kokedama is reportedly taking root in the West. Koke translates as 'moss' and Dama as 'ball' which roughly describes it. A plant is grown in a soil ball, wrapped in moss. The whole is secured with nylon monofilament, which may be used to suspend it outside or in the home. Kokedama, like bonsai, require some care and attention. Plants selected must tolerate full to partial shade, sheltered from drying winds. Watering is a constant concern, often achieved by plunging the whole kokedama into water and then allowing to drain. Sphagnum moss, obtained live if possible from edges of swamps, makes and excellent wrapping material.
Diversion No. 2
Noah's Ark theme park damaged by heavy rain and the lawyers come two-by-two, suggested the National Post. Ark Encounter, the multi-million-dollar theme park and monument to fundamentalist Christianity whose centrepiece is a replica of Noah's Ark, is suing its insurance carriers over rain-related damages on its property. Genesis this is not. Not in 2019, not in the United States. Not in Williamstown, northern Kentucky, observed the newspaper.
Beer can be used to remove brown spots from grass, according to an item in The Daily Mail. Gardening specialist Boris Milushev recommends using beer to cure brown spots on the lawn as fermented sugars can stimulate plant growth and kill off fungus. "Go for a chemical-free beer if possible, it's better for the lawn and will do away with any annoying brown spots," he told the Brit-based tabloid.
Diversion No. 3
Mechanized future for fruit orchards, a scientist tells The New Zealand Herald. The orchard of the future will be highly digitalized and more productive, with fruit being grown in a protected environment and tended by robots, says Plant and Food Research (PFR) scientist Dr. Jill Stanley.
Visually prominent fauna and flora more often attract popular attention. The wonders of the Plant Kingdom never cease, however. Bulbostylis paradoxa, for example, a hair sedge from tropical American savannas may re-sprout grass-like foliage and bear spikelets of flowers just a day following a fire. Brazilian scientists recently wrote in Ecology that this is proof of the Cerrado biome's superb resilience and its capacity to evolve through fire.
Diversion No. 4
Shane Hamilton can get his mower up to 100 kilometres an hour. "It's a cheap man's motorsport," Mr. Hamilton, founder of Lawnmower Racing Tasmania told ABC News. The Legana man is part of a growing Tasmanian fraternity that meet every six week o race their modified mowers on specially designed track next door to the Tas Dragway Complex at Powranna.
Lawnmower racing is nothing new around the English-speaking globe. In Canada, active groups exist in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario with such names as Grass Hogs and Western Ontario Outlaws. Organized lawnmower racing originated in the United States in 1963 followed by Britain five years later. Australian lawnmower racing dates back to 1978. Elsewhere, it has even travelled as far as Finland to "kick grass.".
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Mark These in Your Journal for July
Who thinks these up? Who registers them? Ah well, a day without a smile . . .
Month --
3 July--11 August Dog Days of Summer
National Blueberry Month (July Belongs to Blueberries)
Day --
3 Eat Beans Day
4 Carnation Day
5 National Apple Turnover Day
6 International Cherry Pit Spitting Day
7 Build a Scarecrow Day
7 Chocolate Day
7 National Strawberry Sundae Day
8 National Blueberry Day
10 Pick Blueberries Day
10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day
11 National Blueberry Muffins Day
12 Pecan Pie Day
16 Fresh Spinach Day
17 Peach Ice Cream Day
19 National Raspberry Cake Day
22 Rat Catcher's Day
23 Vanilla Ice Cream Day
27 Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
