What happens on the first day of Summer? The Summer Solstice was Thursday, the 21st—the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, when the Earth’s axis is most tilted toward the sun. It is when the sun rises before most of us do and sets not long before most of us go to bed. It is a day of long daylight, of energy, of evolution of the seasons. It is a day of new beginnings.
What happens on the first day of Summer in Minnesota? Fruit is forming, growing, and ripening—apples, blueberries, wild plums, and wild strawberries.
Tender new growth on the evergreen trees is starting to harden off, easing into the next stage of growth and development, stepping into its larger self.
Summer sunshine, blue skies, and white clouds outline and energize the trees.
On the first day of Summer, some flowers, like the Gas Plant, are already going to seed, while a whole passel are in full bloom or getting ready to bloom.
The late-planted garden is growing, as are the weeds that will need to be cleared out so the good stuff will grow and produce.
Bird parents are busy searching for insects to bring back to their hungry babies.
Broken remains of storm damage finally fell from a tree, days after the other storm debris had been cleaned up.
And then, just for a reality check, Summer throws in a little taste of what’s to come in a couple of months…
Late in the long day, the sun finally sets, the long twilight glows on, and the moon shines bright in the southern sky.
One notable Summer day, the Solstice, the official beginning of Summer, is like a birthday—remarkable in a way, but as common as every other day. It is a marker of seasons and new beginnings, a snapshot of the continuing development of all that is Nature and all that is Us. If we take the time to clear out the weeds and clean up the debris from the storms of our lives, we are energized. We can learn and grow and step into our larger selves. We are ready to bloom and ready to bear fruit. Shine on!
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