DURANGO WEATHER HISTORY  

July 4^th, 1973 is the record high temperature for the month of July of 102 degrees F.
July 4^th, 1995 is the record low temperature for the month of July of 29 degrees F.

July has an average high of 81 degrees, and an average low of 48 degrees. Average precipitation is 2.05 inches.

PLANT HAPPENINGS

Wild

• Alpine and sub-alpine flowers reach their peak.
• Sunflowers begin to bloom and sweet corn and peaches ripen.
• Mushroom season usually starts in mid -July, but is very rainfall dependant. Look for mushrooms a matter of days after a good soil soaking, from July up through the first frost.

Garden

• The cool weather crops are done, with a few straggler peas, beets, and lettuces being harvested.
• Local cherries become available.
• Look for local ripe peaches, plums and melons to make an appearance toward the end of the month, along with sweet corn, green beans, and maybe even a home grown garden tomato. (Our cool nights, even at the height of summer, make warm weather crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants a challenge.)
• Now is the time to start planning your fall cool weather crops for sowing in early August.
• Now is a great time to visit your local farmers market. 

ANIMAL HAPPENINGS 

• Pikas, or “rock rabbits,” begin storing grass in the form of “hay piles” for winter food.  Pikas do not hibernate and they need to store about a cubic yard of plant material to get them through the winter. Pikas are solitary and will vigorously defend their territory from other pikas.
• In contrast to pikas, marmots are social throughout the summer and hibernate all winter.  During July, marmots are focused on eating as much as they can to survive the winter months. 
• Mt. Lion kittens are born throughout the year, but their frequency peaks in July.
• Bats continue to forage for insects at sunset.  They need to eat a great deal to provide for their young, which were born in late June and early July. There are 16 species of bats living in SW Colorado and NW New Mexico. The most commonly seen in residential areas is the Little Brown Bat.
• Hummingbirds start returning to lower elevations; the beginning of their winter migration. Look for the arrival of Rufous hummingbirds at your feeder as they migrate through. Their rust colored bodies make them easy to spot.
• Grasshoppers begin to swarm at lower elevations. 
• Butterfly populations peak.

ASTRONOMICAL HAPPENINGS