• NABA National Butterfly count. • Cicadas start calling. • Watch local ponds for immature herons and bitterns. • First brood of immature hummingbirds begin to show up at nectar feeders early in the month. • Thistle plants begin to seed; goldfinches gather thistledown for nesting material. • Blackbirds begin to flock and appear at feeders. • Listen for the feeding screeches of young Barred and Great Horned Owls. • Shorebird migration starts. • Butterfly milkweed in bloom. Look for Monarch Butterfly adults, eggs and larva. • Look for hummingbirds feeding on Trumpet Creeper, Jewelweed and Cardinal flowers. • Delta Aquarids Meteor shower peaks in late-July.
