The Mighty Almanac

This blog grew naturally out of my project to put together a perpetual almanac and guide to nature for my friends and I. All of the things I've learned have brought me so much unexpected joy and have really changed simple things like walks and how I look at trees, the stars, clouds, the weeds in the verges and more.

The Lay of the Land

In monthly almanac posts I'll share what's happening with the plants, the animals and the skies, as well as some applicable folklore and traditions. These will be tagged with #almanac and posted in the first few days of every month.

!! Please note that while it may sometimes cover edible plants, this almanac is not a foraging guide !!

I'll also be posting about natural navigation techniques and general knowledge to help you understand what you're looking at and to give you things to observe and notice year-round. These will be tagged with #natural navigation and/or #nature knowledge.

I'll add my sources and further reading/listening recommendations to each post.

Posts will relate largely to the Northern Hemisphere, with plant and animal information mostly applicable to Ireland, the UK and northern Europe. Some information can be flipped for the southern hemisphere (e.g. the sun and moon travel across the southern sky for those in the northern hemisphere, and the northern sky for those in the southern hemisphere).

Come Along

If you'd like to come along for the adventure, I recommend that you keep your own notes of the posts and tips that interest you. You can also think about looking ahead and using other sources to note the dates of the spring and neap tides where you are (highest high-tides and lowest low-tides) and the dates of the new and full moon. When recording monthly information about the planets, I recommend you look for their rise and set times and what portion of the sky you can expect to see them in. This is not only another thing to track, but it will help you correctly identify the planets. If you aren't living in the same part of the world as me, you could also note down what the plants and animals are up to where you are.

Animals

Wood pigeon, sparrow, blackbird, wren, song thrush, European herring gull, swift, swallow, soprano pipistrelle (bat), cat (standard tabby)

Bugs

Common fly, many other flies, hoverflies and moths I was unable to identify, green veined white, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, meadow brown (guess only), common frog hopper, crane fly, honeybee, white tailed bumblebee (exact species unknown, likely bombus lucorum), dragonfly (exact species unknown)

Plants

Skies

The sky is darkening again and we leave the period of astronomical twilight early this month. As August progresses, more stars will appear in the night sky. The darkening skies also mean the season for noctiluscent clouds is coming to an end.

The stars of the summer triangle in the eastern sky, Deneb in Cygnus, Vega in Lyra, Altair in Aquila, as well as the currently sinking Arcturus in the north and the Spika in Virgo in the west are the most prominent stars in the sky at this time.

The constellation of Virgo is on the horizon in the west, its appearance denoting the time of harvest.

The Perseids meteor shower is this month and is one of the best in the year. Look to now rising constellation of Perseus, which lies in the east-north east and expect around seventy-five to a hundred meteors per hour in good conditions, over one a minute.

Also rising in the north sky is the constellation of Auriga and Andromeda and Pegasus are easy to see in the north east.

Bootes is vertical in the west, and the constellations of Corona Borealis and Hercules are also well-placed for observing.

The Ophiuchus is in the south to the south-west, another constellation that is well-placed for observing. On the horizon due south is Sagittarius, which can be identified once you know to look out for the asterism of the teapot, which forms part of the constellation.

Plants

The harvest starts and hay is cut, and wildflowers and grasses go to seed.

Some wildflowers are still flowering, such as some species of buttercup, gentian, knapweed, thistle, vetch and woundwort, to name a selection.

Blackberries are ripening on the brushes. Those that see the more of the sun will ripen first.

Toward the end of the month, expect to see haws (from hawthorn/white thorn), slows (blackthorn), hips (dog rose) and elderberries ripe on the trees/in the hedgerows. They will appear in greater abundance next month.

Bright red berries appear on rowan trees.

Horse chestnuts start dropping conkers.

The climber bittersweet, also know as woody nightshade, flowers in woodlands. It will produce toxic red berries in the autumn.

Animals

This is one of the quietest times for song birds, having finished breeding (bar a few, which may have a second brood if conditions allow), and many will soon me migrating. Swifts, having raised their young, will soon be migrating south to the Democratic Republic of Congo once again, the same is true for nightjars.

Roe deer rut, having started in July. This is unlike most species of deer which do so in the autumn.

Stag beetles look for mates. Their larvae can remain in dead wood for up to seven years.

This is the best time to observe whales along British and Irish coasts, as the sea is warm and full of food.

The moths that appear this month are some of the largest and most spectacular, such as the poplar hawk-moth, which looks the like the dead brown leaves of its namesake tree but flashes a bright red patch when threatened.

The house moths eating my clothes are less abundant.

Further Reading / Listening / References

Skies

On the 3rd, the Earth reaches aphelion, when it is furthest away from the sun. It will be at its closest on the opposite side of the calendar on January the 3rd, this is known as perihelion.

With the skies still bright throughout the night, some of the features of truly dark skies will be very difficult to see, such as the Milky Way. Under good conditions however, a portion of the Milky Way called the Great Rift may be seen, which seems to background the constellation of Cygnus.

Where the great rift appears is also where we'll find the asterism of the Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle is made up of the stars Vega (which is now shining high overhead), Deneb and Altair in Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila respectively, and it will dominate the southern sky and will continue to do so for a number of months.

Low down on the southern horizon, close to the tall gable end shape of Ophiuchus, you'll find Antares in Scorpius, a noticeably red star that I know I've sometimes mistaken for Mars. The tail of Scorpius will be out of sight, unless you live in lower latitudes. The "teapot" shape of Sagittarius is also visible on the southern horizon, closer to the south-east alongside Scorpius. In the south-east is Capricornus. All three are similarly partially out of sight.

This month is also the last chance to see the constellation of Corvis in the southern sky.

Cassiopeia is prominent in the north-east and further to the east, the great square of Pegasus is rising from the horizon.

In the north-western sky are Ursa Major, how prominent, Corona Borealis and Boötes.

A number of meteor showers occur in July, such as a the Capricornids (occurring low in the southeast at the tip of Capricornus as it appears over the horizon) and Piscis Austrinids. The Perseids, one of the brightest meteor showers on the calendar, also start at the end of the month, peaking next month in August.

Plants

Teasel and purple-loosestrife flowers from now through to August.

Wild angelica flowers from now to September.

Buddleia, hemp-agrimony and spear thistle flower from now to October.

Flowering will largely be over, instead July the time of things going to seed.

Greater-knapweed starts to go to seed.

Gorse seed pods explode open in hot weather, producing lots of small popping sounds that I've occasionally known to be noisy!

Yellow rattle seeds fall.

Bilberries and blackcurrants ripen.

Animals

Bumblebees are coming to the end of their lifecycle.

Crickets and grasshoppers start to sing.

Ladybirds mate and lay their eggs on aphid colonies.

Small mammals are in their peak breeding season.

Moths and butterflies are having their moment, such as the silver-washed fritillary, Ireland's largest butterfly, which emerges in July and graces light woodlands through to August.

The black and yellow stripped cinnabar caterpillars may be found on ragwort and sometimes tansy. Ragwort is toxic and this stage of their life, munching on this tall, yellow flowered plant, will ensure that they are also toxic when they pupate. When they emerge they'll be equally striking black moths with red stripes down their wings.

Many other moths are emerging or have emerged, such as the common house moth, which are currently going to town on my clothes specifically.

Many bird species are still hard at work feeding their young. Tawny owl chicks have fledged but remain close to the nest, where they are still fed by their parents. You may hear them begging for food, sounding like a knife being sharpened.

Food is abundant for song birds and birds of prey both. Song birds will feast on the increased invertebrates and birds of prey, such as the sparrow hawk, will hunt for song birds.

Further Reading / Listening / References

Skies

The summer solstice falls this month, during which the sun will be at its highest (its zenith) and most northerly point (and the moon will be at its lowest point, making for some wonderful viewing as the moon appears larger when its near the horizon). The sun will seem to stand still, maintaining the same rising and setting points for a few days before those points start to shorten once more, bringing us slowly into the darker portion of the year.

Contrary to the increased sunshine and temperatures of summer, during the summer solstice the sun is in fact at its furthest point from the Earth. The summer solstice however, marks the point of the year where the northern hemisphere is tipped entirely toward the sun, hence summer. Aren't we lucky it's not the other way around?

At this time of year the sky doesn't become fully dark, with the "dark" portions of the night being in twilight. This makes for poor viewing conditions, particularly in the southern sky, but the brightest objects will still stand out.

What we lack in these bright skies is made up for by noctilucent clouds, otherwise known as night shining clouds. These are observable after sunset and can be seen as distinct patterns of silvery-blue or electric blue in the northern sky. Noctiluscent clouds are formed from ice crystals and dust particles very high up in our atmosphere. They are seen at this time of year because the right conditions are met between the thermosphere and mesosphere to create them in the first place, as well as the right lighting conditions, whereby the surface of the Earth is in shadow but the clouds are still in sunlight, ensuring they are lit up.

In the northern sky, the Big Dipper is moving into its summer position, and Leo is descending towards the horizon beneath it.

The "Summer Triangle" a trio of stars including Vega in Lyra, Altair in Aquila and Deneb in Cygnus, is on display. These three bright stars are an asterism that form a triangle. In June, the Summer Triangle is well above the horizon in the east.

Looking south, you can find the constellations of Virgo and Libra. Using one of the two sides of Virgo once you've found it (remember you can trace the brightest star in the more conspicuous Boötes, Arcturus, to the bright and blue Spica in Virgo) you'll find you can trace these stars to the two stars that form the triangle in Libra. To the east of Libra is Scorpio, which has a straight head facing Libra with the line of its body curving behind it.

Drawing a curved line from the most south-eastern arm of Hercules, you'll find the star Rasalhague in the constellation of Ophiuchus. Ophiuchus looks quite like Cepheus in that it could be compared to the gable end, or a child's drawing, of a house. Ophiuchus looks like a taller house than Cepheus. On either side of Ophiuchus are a chain of stars in two parts, Serpens Cauda and Serpens Caput.

Plants

Bilberries, elderflower, gooseberries, march samphire wild thyme and wild strawberries are all on their respective trees/bushes.

Dog-rose, honeysuckle and wild carrot flowers from now through to August.

Broadleaf plantain, clover, common figwort, foxglove, knapweed, poppy and rosebay willowherb flowers from now through to September.

Broad-leaved dock, burdock, feverfew and fennel flowers from now through to October.

Many grasses flower, such as goosegrass, which flowers from now through August.

Fruit trees such as apple trees experience the "June drop," which occurs as trees shed some fruit. Trees are incapable of physically supporting 100% of, and do not have the energy for, the fruit it initially grows so this shedding is natural and necessary.

Galls appear on many trees. These are swellings on the branches, leaves and fruit of trees caused by infections or the invasion of larvae, This time of year they are created by the gall wasp, which create them to foster their larvae.

Animals

The chicks of many bird species are fledging. While fledglings are the same size as adult birds when they leave the nest, they tend to be less colourful and are generally scruffier looking. Their heads also look 'young,' they might, for example, appear to have wider or longer beaks or longer necks, which is the result of them not having their adult feathers yet. They may behave a little awkwardly too, as BirdwatchIreland puts it: "Juvenile birds might be a bit noisier (calling to their parents), might flap their wings rapidly to beg for food, and might be a little less fearful of humans than their grown up counterparts."

Froglets and toadlets emerge and will seek good ground cover and shade.

Turtledoves arrive from their breeding grounds in south of the Sahara to parts of England, Wales and in fewer numbers to Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Cuckoos head back to Africa. They spend some time in fertile areas of Italy (as they also no on their northward journey) before taking the next leg of their journey. Hearing a cuckoo after midsummer was traditionally thought to be a bad omen as it was supposed to indicate a late season which may affect the weather and harvest.

Many moths and their larva are active.

Painted lady and red admiral butterflies migrate to British and Irish shores, having, technically, come from Africa. I say technically because, in the case of Painted ladies, the journey is taken by in "a series of steps by up to six successive generations." They will also migrate south in the autumn and undertake the same multi-generational migration in reverse.

Further Reading / Listening / References

There are two useful constellations and one asterism in the northern hemisphere that can help us to find north year-round. This works because all of these point in some way to Polaris, the pole star. If we were to draw a line, the Earth's axis would seem to point at Polaris and consequently, the stars also appear to turn around it. Due to the tilt of the Earth, and luckily for us navigators, Polaris always occupies the northern sky. The southern hemisphere does not have a corresponding south star in the same way we have a north star, but south can instead be found using the Southern Cross.

Finding North with Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper or the Little Bear)

Once you've found Ursa Minor, a little kite shaped constellation that looks like the little sibling of the Big Dipper, you've found Polaris and thus the direction of north. Polaris is the last star in Ursa Minor's tail. Living in a place with a fair amount of light pollution, however, I find the stars of Ursa Minor relatively faint, so I tend to rely on the other two methods for finding North instead.

Finding North with the Big Dipper (the Plough)

The Big Dipper is arguably the most recognisable shape in the northern hemisphere sky. The outer edge of the spoon or ladle are made up of the stars Merak and Dubhe which can be used to easily draw a line across the sky to Polaris.

Finding North with Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia appears as a squiggle with sharp points, sometimes like an M or W depending on its position. Imagine Cassiopeia is a W. The centre point of the W is a star known as Gamma Cassiopeiae (γ Cassiopeiae), Tsih or Navi, which also points to Polaris.

The Big and Little Dipper as a Calendar or Maybe a Really Slow Clock

Here's one for any time travellers out there!

Look up and you can tell what season it is by the position of the Big Dipper/the Plough).

Here's how I remember it:

In winter the Big Dipper is a wooden spoon, held up; we're working through our stores and getting resourceful in the kitchen

In spring the Big Dipper is a scoop that we're dumping seeds out of

In the summer the Big Dipper is a sprout growing from a seed

In the autumn it's a scoop again, we fill it up with the fruits of the harvest.

Not much symmetry to this, but I find it memorable!

Ursa Minor can be used similarly. Pointing downward for much of the night between November and December and upward between May and June.

The Big Dipper as an Actual Clock(?!)

The movement of the Big Dipper is reliable enough to be used as a clock.

This one's a bit brain bending but-- Imagine a 24 hour clock. Now imagine it running backwards, with the numbers backwards to match. The stars of Dubhe and Merak that we used to point us to Polaris are now an hour hand.

Timeanddate.com have a calculation for this. Keeping in mind that on the 6th of March at midnight the Big Dipper is in the position in the image above, on any given day or season, you need only imagine where the Dubhe and Merak are pointing on the 24 hour clock, and then subtract this by 2 x the number of months since the 6th of March:

Time = Dipper Time – 2 X the number of months since March 6.

Skies

The sun is higher in the sky and moving northwards in its rising and setting points. It will keep moving further north until the summer solstice next month, when it will seem to stand still, and the rising and setting points will start to narrow progressively once more.

The winter stars are setting in the west. Now, between the north-west and western sky, the brightest spring stars are on display, Arcturus in the constellation of Boötes, Spica in Virgo and Regulus in Leo. Together they're known as the Spring Triangle. To help you identify these stars, you can look between the north-west and north when it's not very dark yet, in good conditions the brightest stars will stand out. There's a bit of wayfinding/star hopping help to be had by tracing the last star in the handle of the Big Dipper down to the pointiest part of Boötes, this is Arcturus.

The Eta Aquarids occur this month, radiating from the constellation of Aquarius, which is to be found approximately in the north east late at night around 2.00am. The Eta Aquarids are associated with the debris of Halley's comet and is best viewed near dawn.

Cassopeia is sitting low in the northern horizon.

Perseus and Ariga are becoming harder to observe as they get closer to the horizon.

The star Vega and the constellation Lyra are now visible in the east. The eventual reappearance of a star or planet in the eastern morning sky, having previously set some time before in the western sky at sunset is known as its Heliacal rising.

Most of Cygnus can now been seen in the north-east. The story of Mother Goose is attached to the constellation of Cygnus, as she rises, the Milkyway trails after her.

The stars in May present a nice opportunity for wayfinding. Drawing a line between the stars Vega and Arcturus, you can find the constellation of Hercules, with his trapezium-like body, and closer to Arcturus, Corona Borealis, which is a small circlet of stars.

Plants

May is my favourite month because so many leaves and flowers are on display. If you want to get to know your local trees and plants better, this is the month to do it!

Flowers everywhere!

White frothy flowers can be found on the trees, in the hedgerows and verges, such as horse chestnut trees, elder trees, rowan trees, hawthorn/whitethorn and cow parsley.

Bluebells and wild garlic are still in flower.

Red clover starts flowering.

Bramble starts flowering from now through to April.

Rowan trees start flowering from now through to June.

Common comfrey flowers from now through to July.

Ground-elder and creeping buttercup flowers from now through to August.

Ox-eye daisy will flower from now through to September, as does field madder.

Pineappleweed flowers from now through to November

The first berries of the year, red currants, are ready for harvest.

Fairy ring champignons may appear. As do morels, which appear in woodland, particularly those dominated by ash trees. Morels are not to be confused by the false morel, which grows under pine trees in sandy soils and is deadly poisonous.

Animals

The dawn chorus peaks. In fact, International Dawn Chorus day falls on the first Sunday of May, celebrating this wonderful, annual phenomenon. During this time, birds will sing each morning, essentially broadcasting who survived the night and allowing any gaps (new territory) to be identified and vied over. With singing taking up so much energy it's also a way for males to show off that they are healthy and well-fed.

Sources vary on the order of birds in the dawn chorus, but at least agree on who sings before and after sunrise. Skylarks famously start their song a whole hour and a half before sunrise, and are the first sign of dawn. They're followed by other early risers, robins, then blackbirds and wrens. After the sun rises, tits, finches and house sparrows will join in. The members depend of course on your particular location. Learn your local bird songs (there's some great resources out there such as the Merlin Bird ID app and Xeno Canto) so you can listen and identify them should you find yourself awake in the early hours.

Birds will also participate in the evening chorus, during which they affirm their territory as night descends. The evening chorus is quieter than the dawn chorus, but you may be able to hear different species whose voices were otherwise drowned out by the cacophony of the dawn chorus.

Many birds are raising their young. Regarding the division of labour in building the nest, sitting on the nest, feeding and rising chicks, it's generally true that the closer birds of both sexes look like to each other, the more evenly these duties are split. For example, European robins (which have low levels sexual dimorphism) share the burdens of nesting whereas mallard females are solely responsible for both nest building and for raising the chicks.

As cuckoo mating season was last month and eggs hatch after just 11 days, it's likely that birds such a meadow pitpits, one of the preferred foster parents of cuckoos, are now rising cuckoo chicks, which will have kicked their own chicks out of the nest.

Nightingales, which sing during the night along with the likes of owls and nightjars, return.

Holly blue butterflies lay eggs on ivy and holly leaves.

Fallow deer give birth.

Beaver kits are born between now and June. Beavers were reintroduced where they were native in Britain. In Ireland however, there are no beavers, nor are they native.

Badger mating season ends, but implantation is cleverly delayed until the autumn

Further Reading / Listening / References

Skies

Ursa Major is now right overhead, occupying the zenith.

Cepheus is beginning to climb higher and the head of Draco is almost due east Polaris.

The constellation of Cygnus is starting to rise but remains low on the north-east horizon and is viewable only late at night. Cygnus makes that very distinct, slightly wonky cross that occupies the northern sky in the southern sky in the summer.

Perseus is descending in the north-east.

The star Aldebaran in Taurus is skimming the horizon.

Leo is high in the southern sky. A nice sky wayfinding tip to help you find Leo: follow the pointer stars of the Big Dipper that you would ordinarily use to find Polaris/the north star down until you reach the brightest star in Leo, Regulus. Leo has a clear body shape and backwards question mark forming the head and neck. Regulus is at the join of Leo's back to his neck.

Vega and the other stars of Lyra are now higher in the north-east.

The Lyrid meteor shower starts from mid to the end of April. It radiates from the constellation of Lyra, but meteors can be found anywhere in the sky (this is also because there are two minor showers occurring around the same time, the Aquarids in Aquarius and Puppids in Puppis). There will be approximately 15-20 meteors an hour. In April, Lyra rises in the north-northeastern horizon around midnight, so it may be worth a late night or two. Lyra is a very small constellation that can be found between Cygnus and Hercules, but has the benefit of having Vega, one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere sky.

Plants

Most trees will be flushing (leaves expanding from buds) including ash, beech, birch, cherry, hazel, oak, but will still look sparse for some time. Other plants take advantage of this; this is the time of year where carpets of flowering plants such as bluebell, Celandine and Violet can be found.

Orchard trees such as apple, cherry, plum and pear trees produce blossom.

Wild garlic is now flowering.

Wood anemones come into flower.

Broom and false oxslip start flowering from now through to June.

Cowslip and wood-sorrel flowers from now through to May.

Many grasses flower such as sweet vernal grass and meadow foxtail.

Chickweed starts to blanket the ground.

Animals

Fox cubs are taken on their first forays into the outside world.

Queen bumble bees find a place to make their nests and the first worker bumblebees emerge.

Songbirds are nesting and many eggs will hatch. Depending on the species, they sometimes have multiple-clutches, and while nesting will lay one egg a day. Eggs will take ten days to two weeks to hatch, and the chicks will take the same amount of time again before fledging e.g., robins.

Brent geese depart estuaries and coastal areas for their breeding grounds in Svålbard, Greenland or Canada.

Common blue butterflies lay their eggs.

Other butterflies emerge including the green-veined white, red admiral, small tortoiseshell and orange-tip.

All bats species native to Britain and Ireland emerge from hibernation.

Further reading / Listening / References

Skies

Ursa Major is now high overhead in the northern sky and is moving into its spring position. As the month progresses, the Big Dipper or Plow, the well-known asterism within Ursa Major, will look like a ladle or spoon dumping out its contents.

Ursa Minor and Draco are also prominent in the north.

Orion is sinking in the southern sky.

The star Sirius, in the constellation of Canis Major will lie low and bright on the horizon. Sirius can often be mistaken for Venus, as its bright and has a similar white-blue hue.

Plants

Changes in plants suddenly seem more rapid.

The green leafy blades of bluebells and wild garlic appear. The flowers will come later, from April onward.

Whitethorn (Hawthorn) put out its leaves now, before its flowers. Its leaves are lobed, or lobate, like a oaks, though much smaller.

Blackthorns and willows are flowering. Unlike the whitethorn, the blackthorn flowers before its leaves come out.

Other plants that start flowering in March are wood anemones, march marigolds (cowslip), dandelion, ground-ivy, coltsfoot, dog's mercury, alexanders and seabuckthorn.

Brambles and honeysuckle "start to take over."

Animals

Fox cubs are born from March through April.

Bird nesting season starts and will go on until August.

Common frogs leave spawn.

Female blackbirds, usually quiet unless startled, will occasionally sing in response to males.

Starling numbers grow in Ireland and Britain as they're joined by reinforcements from the continent.

Bumblebee queens emerge from their hibernation holes and get busy starting a new colony. This entails seeking out sugar-rich nectar in March and later, protein-rich pollen to develop their stored eggs. The bumbleebee queens are joined in their emergence by many species of ladybirds, moths, butterflies and hoverflies.

References/Further Reading/Listening

Skies

In Februrary, but particularly on Imbolc (the festival falling on either the 1st or 2nd of the month), the sun rises east south-east and sets west south-west. Imbolc marks the mid-point between the winter solstice and spring equinox and is known as one of the cross-quarter festivals. The sun will be in this position again on Samhain.

January and February are the best months for viewing the Milky Way, which runs through the constellations of Orion, Gemini, Auriga, Perseus and Cassiopeia.

There are no meteor showers for those in northern hemisphere this month.

High in the eastern sky is Ursa Major, while Cassiopeia is further down toward the north-western horizon. Lynx occupies the zenith. You will find Cepheus and the head of Draco in the north. Capella and Auriga are high overhead in the west and below them, Perseus and Taurus can be clearly seen. Orion remains prominent in the south-west but it is currently seems to be falling over during typical viewing hours, which is a sure sign that spring is on its way. Above Orion's right shoulder and high on the meridian is Gemini.

Plants

February is still a lean month for foragers, but there are even more signs than in January that spring is coming.

Hazel catkins, as mentioned in January, are elongating, turning more yellow and getting ready to release pollen. The shape of the hazel catkins act like a series of tiny umbrellas and keep the pollen from getting wet. The hazel catkins are joined by others, such as birch and alder. Alder, although deciduous, are also shedding their small cones. Buds are starting to become more notable, such as those on ash trees which are distinctively dark and nobbly. Noticing these details, you'll see that the trees aren't truly bare this time of year.

Cherry plum trees are flowering.

The same green plants that provided green in January can be found in more abundance.

Animals

Fox mating season is still ongoing and is at its height. Its common to hear vixens call.

Birds start looking for mates and safe places to nest.

Fieldfares and redwings depart Irish, British and northern European countries for Scandinavia.

Frogs and toads emerge from hibernation and will spawn if the month is warm. For every 1°c (33.8°F) that the temperature rises, the spawning date of frogs and toads falls five days earlier. The common frog can also be heard on mild days. The males sing using their vocal sacs to attract a mate. Both males and females will return to the same body of water every year.

The herald moth appears. This moth has brown wings with orange blotches and it can be found near garden buildings and hedgerows.

Queen bumblebees may emerge on sunny days.

Many of the moths that emerge at this time are apterous, meaning that they are wingless, usually these are females. Examples of apterous moths emerging in February are the spring usher and pale brindled beauty.

References/Further Reading/Listening

Orion is a highly recognisible constellation and is most visible in December and January. For this reason it's considered one of the Winter Constellations. The stars that make up Orion are usually still visible in areas of moderate of light pollution so it's a great constellation for practicing navigation.

Find South

The line of stars that will help us find south are known as Orion's sword. Imagining Orion is another person, you'll find it as a little line below his belt on his right side (your left). As Orion travels across the sky, his sword will point roughly south. This trick is more accurate the further from the horizon and the more upright Orion is.

Find East and West

Orion's belt can also be used to find the east and west. When Orion rises, the belt rises due-east (meaning exactly east) and due-west. The most northerly star on his belt/the star on his left side (called Mintaka) provides the most accuracy, rising and setting within just a single degree of these two compass points.

Bonus Info for Your Stargazing Pleasure

The middle star of Orion's sword is not, in fact, a star, but the Orion Nebula. The reddish star on his right shoulder is Betelgeuse and is showing signs of an impending supernova.

References and Further Reading: