Things to Look For in August

It's been the hottest summer on record and August probably won't be any different. But there's still plenty to see outside, if you can take it. Links are to last year's LOOK FOR posts:

Monarch larva by The Natural Capital

Monarch butterflies are laying their eggs, and if you look closely on milkweed, you may see some stripey caterpillars. Every year, we bring a few inside and raise them. It's a pretty amazing process. This has been one of the all-time most popular posts on the Natural Capital.

Photo credit: Rongem Boyo

The Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12. Last year, this fell close to a full moon, but this year, it will be closer to the new moon, making for a darker sky and better viewing. The National Capital Astonomers will be out in Rock Creek Park on August 14 to see what they can see; there may still be a few meteors left then.

Photo credit: afagen

Dragonflies are common sight this time of year. They hang out around water, because they lay their eggs there and spend their nymph stage as aquatic creatures. In our post we highlighted 6 common species, and shared a video of a dragonfly shedding its aquatic skin to become an adult.

Sumac berries by j.e.s.1981VA

Sumac has extremely distinctive clusters of dark red, hairy berries in the late summer. They're great for making pink lemonade! Check out our post from last summer to find out how.

What have you been seeing lately? Leave a comment and let us know!