THIS MONTH IN HISTORY 

May 31, 2002
Record HIGH temperature of 91 degrees F

May 10, 1953
Record low temperature of 11 degrees F

Average Temperatures (in degrees Fahrenheit)

Max. 65.9 F
Min. 33.0 F
Mean 49.3 F

Source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliGCStT.pl?coflew

ANIMAL HAPPENINGS 

. Female black bears and cubs leave the den
. Baby skunks, raccoons, and porcupines are born
. Prairie dog pups emerge from the den
. Abert’s squirrels mating
. Great blue herons are feeding their chicks
. Many songbirds are in courtship, building nests, and laying eggs
. Blue grouse drum and display in coniferous forests
. Great horned owl young fledge
. Bullsnakes (more correctly known as gopher snakes) are mating at The Durango Nature Center (See May 2005 Gopher Snake article).
. Overwintering bumblebee queens harvest pollen and nectar, lay eggs, and begin the new hive. Soon their daughters will be waiting on them, but for now, it is the queens’ turn to do all of the work!
. Caddisflies hatch (emerge) from the rivers in great swarms

PLANT HAPPENINGS

Wild
. Lilacs and fruit trees bloom and rhubarb is harvested
. Pasqueflowers, spring beauties, blue mustards, candytufts, filaree, and stemless evening primrose are blooming in fields and wild places.
. Male junipers release pollen in abundance, cottonwoods and aspen begin to bloom

Garden
Now is the time to plant cool season vegetables, if you haven’t already. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, greens and peas all do well in our warm day/cool night spring weather. Don’t put your tomatoes, squash, corn, peppers or beans out now without nightly protection. Our average last frost date is the first week in June, and a late May frost has ruined many a gardners hopes of ripe tomatoes come summer.

ASTRONOMICAL HAPPENINGS 

Eta Aqurid meteor shower in the east throughout May, with a peak just before dawn on May 5th and 6th.  Our planet passes close to the orbit of Halley's comet twice a year. Although the comet itself is very far away, tiny pieces of Halley are still moving through the inner solar system. Earth passes through the debris stream once in May (the eta Aquarid meteor shower) and again in October (the Orionid meteor shower).

The Eta Aquarids are named after a star in the constellation Aquarius, where constelation where the meteors seem to originate from.

The Eta Aquarid radiant never climbs very far above the horizon in the northern hemisphere. Most years when bright moonlight is not a problem northerners count about 10 Eta Aquarid meteors per hour. Northern sky watchers sometimes spot spectacular "Earth grazers," while the active Eta Aquarid radiant is low on the horizon. These are meteors that skim horizontally through the upper atmosphere. "Earth grazers" are typically slow and dramatic, streaking far across the sky.