Beargrass: A signal of summer
How do you know when spring has changed to summer? In the Northern Hemisphere, summer officially starts on June 21st, whether you’re in West Glacier or the Western Sahara. We can use a calendar to tell us when the seasons have changed, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect our experience.
In some places, weather events like monsoons signal a change in season. In others, it might just be a festival or celebration. In Northwest Montana, it's sometimes harder to pin down when it actually feels like summer, even though June 21 may have come and gone.
Here in Glacier National Park, we tend to associate summer with July and August. In May and June, seasons are still shifting. Roads are being plowed; trails are still under snow. Lines from the fee station don’t extend down the road beyond sight.
Increasing temperatures are an obvious sign that summer is coming, but spring weather can be all over the place. Sometimes, you have to watch for subtle cues that the seasons are changing.
One of those signs has recently appeared! In West Glacier and other lower elevations, beargrass flowers are popping up. These wildflowers are a familiar sign that summer is on its way. Seeing their white blooms forming tells us that change is coming.
What are some of the more subtle signs of summer where you live? Have you noticed any changes in how and when those signs appear over the years?
[image description: photo 1 shows white cone-shaped blossoms in the foreground with an office building behind. Photo 2 is a close-up shot of white blossoms on cone-shaped stalks amid green grass.]
