The Summer Solstice occurs on June 21st!
☼ Astronomical Alert: Look low in the west-northwest about 30 to 45 minutes after sunset for Mercury, which reaches greatest elongation (highest above the horizon and visually farthest from the sun) on June 20. Bright yellow Saturn is above Mercury and to the left; on June 15 distant Mars can be seen to the upper right of Mars. Jupiter is the brightest planet now, in the southern sky.
You may hear a few Bullfrogs during a daytime visit. But to really hear them at their best, try to arrange to be at the pond (and very quiet) just before dusk. Scores of them can be almost deafening. Only when the Bullfrogs get quiet every few minutes will you hear the flat, banjo-like twang of the smaller Green Frogs.
The white spikes of Black Snakeroot, 3-5 feet above the forest floor, are conspicuous in the woods around the Education Pavilion.
This is a good time to look for nesting birds at TNC. Signs of breeding (other than a nest, of course) include adults carrying food in their bill (and not eating it), or carrying white fecal sacs away from the nest. Many species will have fledged young, so listen for begging calls (you know they go on, and on, and on…) and you may see the parents feed their fledglings.