Nature Calendar - June

Perhaps the loveliest month, June is a great time of year to be in the parks. It marks the arrival of long summer days followed by gentle evenings.

Here are some things to look and listen for during the month:

Songbirds, piping plovers, and peregrine falcons start fledging.
Territorial songbirds’ singing begins to quiet down. Walk through Huber Woods Park, Middletown, and listen for the difference from a few weeks ago.
Screech owls search for large insects such as moths, katydids and crickets.
Shorebirds leave for their Artic breeding grounds. Look for migrating birds at Bayshore Waterfront Park, Port Monmouth.
Spot black skimmers begin to nest.
Herons and egrets are at their nesting peak. See if you can spot them at the Manasquan Reservoir, Howell.
Young ospreys learn to call and fill the air with their voices and with echoes of their mothers’ stronger voices.
Ducklings, goslings and cygnets follow their parents on training missions around ponds Look for them in Holmdel Park, Holmdel.
Fireflies become active at dusk on warm evenings. Look for their tell-tale flashes of light.
Luna moths – these beautiful large green moths have long tails.
Large, fuzzy eastern tent caterpillars as they leave search for food. See if you can spot any in Thompson Park, Lincroft.
Crickets sing at night. Hear them while camping at Turkey Swamp Park, Freehold.

In bloom:

In June:

Monmouth County Park System