The 72 Microseasons

The American almanac, divided into seventy-two five-day windows of the solar year. Each linked to a page reading it across nine North American climate regions.

January

February

Feb 1–5East wind softens the frost
Feb 6–10Sap begins to rise
Feb 11–15First snowdrops appear
Feb 16–20Red-winged blackbirds return
Feb 21–25Rain begins to replace snow
Feb 26–28Skunk cabbage pushes through ice

March

Mar 1–5Ice withdraws from the reservoir
Mar 6–10Crocuses open to weak sun
Mar 11–15Peepers call from the marsh
Mar 16–20Woodcocks spiral at dusk
Mar 21–25Equinox — light overtakes dark
Mar 26–31Forsythia opens along the fences

April

Apr 1–5Cherry blossoms drift like snow
Apr 6–10Warblers appear in the understory
Apr 11–15Magnolias bloom and fall in a day
Apr 16–20Dogwoods float above the forest
Apr 21–25Lilacs perfume the evening
Apr 26–30Last frost releases the garden

May

May 1–5Warblers flood the Ramble
May 6–10Tulip poplars light their candles
May 11–15Shad run up the rivers
May 16–20Roses open along the stoops
May 21–25Firefly scouts appear at dusk
May 26–31Strawberries ripen in the sun

June

Jun 1–5Fireflies rise from the lawn
Jun 6–10Elderflowers open in hedgerows
Jun 11–15Solstice approaches — longest light
Jun 16–20Honeysuckle sweetens the night
Jun 21–25Solstice — the sun stands still
Jun 26–30Lightning bugs drift through oaks

July

Jul 1–5Cicadas claim the afternoon
Jul 6–10Queen Anne's lace lines the roads
Jul 11–15Thunder builds each afternoon
Jul 16–20Corn reaches for the tassels
Jul 21–25Dog days settle in the haze
Jul 26–31Katydids begin their chorus

August

Aug 1–5Night falls a minute earlier
Aug 6–10Sunflowers face the morning
Aug 11–15Goldenrod begins to bloom
Aug 16–20Crickets pulse through warm nights
Aug 21–25First cool morning surprises
Aug 26–31Monarchs stage for flight

September

Sep 1–5School buses reappear
Sep 6–10Asters purple the roadsides
Sep 11–15Hawk migration over the Hudson
Sep 16–20Equinox — dark overtakes light
Sep 21–25Apples hang heavy on the branch
Sep 26–30Geese begin to chevron south

October

Oct 1–5Witch hazel blooms as others fade
Oct 6–10Maples begin to blaze
Oct 11–15Frost paints the garden black
Oct 16–20Oaks turn bronze and russet
Oct 21–25Leaves rattle down the gutters
Oct 26–31Clocks fall back — dusk at five

November

Nov 1–5Ginkgos drop overnight
Nov 6–10Last leaves cling stubbornly
Nov 11–15Juncos arrive from the north
Nov 16–20Bare branches reveal the sky
Nov 21–25First flurries dust the rooftops
Nov 26–30Woodsmoke curls through the block

December

Dec 1–5Darkness settles before dinner
Dec 6–10Holly and winterberry persist
Dec 11–15Shortest day approaches
Dec 16–20Ice begins to form at the edges
Dec 21–25Solstice — the sun begins return
Dec 26–31The year turns in silence