July 2024 Backyard Bulletin

View the full edition at this link. Cover Photo by Peter Bauer.

It's wildfire season in the Northwest, and a cool spring wasn't enough to keep the flames at bay. A long string of days nearing or exceeding 100 degrees, paired with consistently smoky (though not terrible) air indicates that we've entered the hard part of summer. Spring was pristine: serving glorious days for weeks on end. It was easy to appreciate the Methow Valley while doing nearly any activity ranging from sitting on a patio, to mountain biking, to floating the river, to hiking in the Cascades, or perhaps attending a local farm tour with the Methow Conservancy. No matter where you looked, everything was coming up roses (or mock orange or arnica or lupine or balsamroot). I won't pretend that's how I feel about late July.

As I was thinking about what to write this month, what theme had defined my last few weeks, I realized that July for me is about zooming in on those special moments unique to summer. Moments that transcend heat and smoke. It's things like eating a fresh raspberry (or ordering 80 pints of them for Farms to Neighbors). Clipping bright orange marigolds from the garden and arranging them on my kitchen counter. Watching the season's first cultivated sunflower slowly bloom, or watching tiny native bees dance on the flowering dill. Then there's the flavor that bursts from the season's first cherry tomato and, cliché as it is, the rejuvenation of a cold river dip on a hot day. And, last of all, there's appreciating the marvelous colors rendered by a smoky sunset.

- Bridger Layton, Education Programs Coordinator