View from the Rear Window - June 2024

 June - named after Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage among other things.

My garden photo for June was taken on 22nd of the month and shows the rose garden in flower (far right, near the bird feeders).

Photo 1: Back Garden on 22nd June 2024

The daily garden photos are collated in Video 1 ...

Video 1: Daily Photos of the Rear Garden - June 2024

June was definitely on the cool side with many people asking: "when is summer arriving?". Despite the lower than normal temperatures, it was reasonably sunny and very dry. The Hereford weather stats for June 2024 are provided in the table below.

June 2024

Weather Parameter

Value

Dates

Average Monthly Temperature 

16 oC


Maximum Monthly Temperature

31 oC

26th

Minimum Monthly Temperature

4 oC

5th

Number of Air Frost Days

0


Number of Hot Days (> 25 oC)

6


Monthly Precipitation

11.6 mm


Greatest 24 h Precipitation

6.4 mm

15th - 16th

Number of Dry Days

23


Monthly Sunshine Hours (estimated)

209



Highest Wind Speed

34 km/h

27th

Heating Degree Days

109.1


Cooling Degree Days

26.1



Daily maximum and minimum temperatures for June 2024 are shown in Figure 1. The month started off quite promising with temperatures in the low twenties (Celsius) for the first three days. Then a shift in wind direction brought in cold Arctic air for the next two weeks before we finally got some warm weather towards the end of the month. The cooler nights over the first 2-3 weeks held back growth in the kitchen garden but only delayed harvesting by about a week. It did mean we could enjoy the asparagus season well into June.

Figure 1: Min/Max Daily Temperatures for June 2024

Daily rainfall and sunshine hours (measured as solar radiation) for June 2024 are shown in Figure 2. A dry month with only three rainfall events in the second half of the month.

Figure 2: Rainfall & Sunshine for June 2024

My Davis weather station has been operating since November 2019 so I now have data for June covering the last five years. Figure 3 presents some of the temperature data for the month of June over the past five years. In Hereford, average temperatures vary between 16 ℃ and 18 ℃ in June though for different reasons; for example, 2023 had the warmest June not because of high daytime temperatures but due to high overnight temperatures.

Figure 3: Temperature Data for June 2020 - 2024

Figure 4 looks at weather parameters related to sun, wind and rain. Here there does seem to be a trend emerging, albeit over too short a period to be conclusive. June in Hereford appears to be getting sunnier and drier.

Figure 4: Rain, Wind & Sun Trends for June (2020 - 2024)

The next three figures are taken from the Met Office's Monthly Report for June 2024. We are interested (maybe selfishly) in the marked region which (approximately) marks Herefordshire with Hereford itself in the middle. The UK was cooler (Figure 5) than the long-term average (1991 - 2020), especially the west of the country and this included Herefordshire and Hereford (see Figure 3).

Figure 5: UK Mean Temperature Anomalies for June 2024

Apart from the very NW part of Scotland, June was very dry (Figure 6) with Herefordshire (and Hereford) receiving less than half its normal rainfall (see Figure 4).

Figure 6: UK Rainfall (relative) for June 2024

The east of the UK was sunnier than normal while the west of the country was at, or below, the long-term average (Figure 7). Herefordshire (Figure 7) and Hereford (Figure 4) received the expected (i.e. typical) number of sunshine hours for the month.


Figure 7: UK Sunshine Hours (relative) for June 2024

Jobs in the Garden
  • First cucumber picked on June 1st. Approximately 23 cucumbers picked in June
  • Beetroot seed and French Beans sown in the ground
  • Harvesting onions, courgettes (~5 kg), garlic, salad leaves, radishes, French beans, asparagus
  • Regular picking of blackcurrant and raspberries
  • Composting in full swing with all three hot composters in action
  • Despite dry weather (Figure 4), no watering needed in the kitchen garden
Flora & Fauna (seen in the garden)
  • 2 x Blackbirds (male & female)
  • 1 x Blue Tit
  • 2 x Collared Doves
  • 5 x Crows
Photo 2: Two Young Crows Near the Birdfeeder

Photo 3: Inquisitive and Intelligent
  • 15 x House Sparrows
  • 1 x Herring Gull
  • 1 x Magpie
  • 12 x Starlings (including young)
Video 2: Adult Starling Feeding its Fledged Youngster
  • 30 x Swifts
  • 4 x Wood Pigeons
  • 1 x Wren
Photo 4: Wren Hiding at the Entrance to the Secret Garden

Video 3: Wren At the Entrance to the Secret Garden
  • 2 x Herons (flying overhead)
  • Scarlet Tiger Moth
Photo 5: Scarlet Tiger Moth in the Mini-Wood
Photo 6: Large Yellow Underwing Moth on Mary's Art Studio
  • 3 x Common Frogs in our small pond
Photo 7: Three Common Frogs (June 21st)

Photo 8: Two of the Three Common Frogs

And, finally, some photos from the garden ...

Photo 9: Paradise Garden (June 2nd)

Photo 10: Secret Garden (June 2nd)

Photo 11: Exit Stage Right

Photo 12: Astrantia

Photo 13: Inquisitive Fly on Dahlia Flower (June 29th)

Photo 14: Giant Fleabane (June 29th)

Photo 15: Feverfew (June 29th)

Photo 16: Alstroemeria (June 29th)

Photo 17: Dahlia (June 25th)
 
Photo 18: Poppy (June 18th)

Photo 19: Elderflower (June 13th)

Photo 20: Clematis in the Secret Garden (June 13th)

Photo 21: Clematis (June 13th)

Photo 22: Rose Flower (June 13th)

Photo 23: Mini-Garden outside the Arts Studio (June 13th)


In case you couldn't spot all three frogs in Photo 7, here they are ...

Photo 24: Three Common Frogs


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