Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds light and variable..

Isolated thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.

According to internet weather sources, the average high temperature in August is 91⁰ and the average low is 71⁰. Average precipitation this mouth amounts to 5.71 inches, only marginally higher than July’s average.

According to weatherspark.com, this we are now in “the muggier period of the year.” The muggiest day of the year is usually August 5, with muggy conditions 98% of the time. August 8 is generally the calmest day of the year, with an average hourly wind speed of 4.5 miles per hour.

Monday, Aug. 15 to Thursday, Sept. 15 — Georgia’s peak season for mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitoes’ prime feeding times are at dawn and dusk. Prevent mosquitoes from making your property attractive to them by eliminating standing water everywhere. There are very effective EPA-approved granules and dunks for drainage systems and low-lying and boggy areas and where fish and other aquatic predators do not live. There are EPA-approved products for ponds and the like, also. These products can be found at garden centers and feed and seed stores. When outside, wear light-colored clothing and long pants and sleeves whenever possible. Without fail, use EPA-approved repellents, such as DEET.

Mid-August to late October – The peak of Hurricane Season. (Hurricane season does not officially end until November 30.)

Mid-August – Georgia’s “pollen season” returns. Two of the top August allergens in South Georgia are ragweed and mold spores. Avoid being outdoors between 5 and 10 a.m., when the air is most saturated with pollen grains. Advanced knowledge of high pollen days can help allergy sufferers manage their symptoms. A popular pollen-counting website is www.pollen.com. By typing in your ZIP code, you can get the most up-to-date pollen count and a list of the most prominent types of pollen in your area.

Good news for gardeners: A good sign as to whether a particular plant is going to be good for you is if you see a lot of bees and butterflies around it. For the most part, brightly colored, fragrant flowers are better for people who have allergies. Their pollen is large and because insects pollinate them, the pollen is seldom airborne. Of course, as with anything, there are exceptions to this rule.

Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20 — The Great Georgia Pollinator Census. This is a citizens’ science project created by the University of Georgia, designed for everyone’s participation. Its purpose is to identify pollinator populations across the state in order to increase sustainable pollinator habitats and to increase useful data in order to educate our citizens about pollinators. I have participated for the past four years. It is very enjoyable and takes only 15 minutes! The activity involves taking a count of insects that land on a single pollinator plant for 15 minutes, and putting them into 8 categories. For details and to participate, go to The Great Georgia Pollinator Count website for details.

Continue to look for pests and remove and treat them promptly.

Continue deadheading flowers. This will allow plants to use energy reserves for a final flower display.

Persist in weed control. Pull them, being sure to get the roots, before they go to seed. Remember, every seed that is produced and falls to the ground will come back to haunt you next year! With weeds, the best defense is early offense.

Check moisture of hanging baskets and container plantings daily.

Remove plants that have stopped producing in order to eliminate creating a shelter for insects and disease organisms and to prepare for fall plantings.

Plant in August: Flowering tobacco (nicotiana) and annual stock for fall fragrance and chrysanthemums for fall color and pansies and violas for color all fall and winter.

Sow seeds of cool-weather herbs such as chives, cilantro, dill, garlic chives and parsley.

• Fertilize roses. As the weather cools, you’ll get roses for the fall.

• Check your mower blade. How long has it been since your lawnmower blade was sharpened? It should be done once each summer to avoid shredding the grass instead of cutting it cleanly.

• Trim faded annuals. Cut back faded annual flowers by half, then water and lightly fertilize with liquid 20-20-20 or equivalent. A second season of blooms will begin to appear in two weeks.

• Water big trees. Apply at least 15 gallons per inch of trunk thickness each week.

• Make a slug trap from a small board raised an inch off the ground by small stones. Check it at noon and scrape the slimy crawlers into a bucket of soapy water.

• Protect sunflowers. Wrap cheesecloth around sunflower heads to keep the birds away. The head is ready to harvest when the back has turned from green to brown.

For a fall vegetable garden, plant broccoli; cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; collard greens; kale; kohlrabi; leeks; lettuce (butterhead, romaine, buttercrunch); mustard greens; onions (green and bulb); radishes; spinach and Swiss chard this month. Plant potatoes between now and the second week of September. Sow peas directly into the ground around August 27.

You can plant Brussels sprouts, too, but they take longer to mature than the others. UGA extension service guidelines throughout the South show that the best month to plant fall crops of cole veggies (cabbage family crops) is August. Transplanting seedlings in September does not work too well because once days get short and not as bright, cabbage family vegetables tend to grow too slowly to make a good crop.

Avoid pruning trees and shrubs this late in the season. This can stimulate new growth that will not harden off in time for the cold weather ahead. Wait until the end of the dormant season early next spring.

Gardening Tip of the month: Do not throw away your used coffee filters. Use them to line the bottom of your flower pots. They allow water to drain; they do not wear out for a long time; and you are recycling!

Caution: When high temperatures mix with high humidity, heat-exhaustion and heat stroke are dangerous possibilities. They are preventable, however, by using common sense and avoiding over-involvement in strenuous or lengthy outdoor activities, even gardening. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, and a wide-brimmed hat; use a sunscreen; and stay hydrated. Also, if possible, limit your activity to early mornings or later in the evening, when the temperatures are cooler.

Last month, I happily shared research by UGA, published in June 2022, stating that summer monarch butterfly populations in North America have remained relatively stable for the last 25 years because their growth during the summer months compensated for their losses during migration, winter weather and other environmental factors. The authors of the study concluded that monarchs are one of the most widespread butterflies in North America.

This month, I read about another study. Scientists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have placed the migratory monarch butterfly on its Red List of endangered species because they have found that it is threatened by habitat destruction, climate change and the use of pesticides. The entomologists said that monarchs in the Western U.S. are especially threatened in their migration to Mexico and California, where they winter, and then to their summer breeding grounds to Northern U.S. and Canada. They estimate that the migratory monarch population has dwindled by as much as 99.9 percent, and between 22% and 72% over the last decade alone.

At first, I was confused and upset by what appeared to be vastly conflicting reports. The former study was based upon the summer population of monarchs in North America. The new research concentrated upon the migratory monarch butterfly population. The migratory monarch butterfly is a subspecies of the monarch butterfly, and it is the migratory monarchs that are in great jeopardy, especially in the Western U.S. But, because monarchs are a wide-ranging species and are found throughout the U.S., we are urged to help preserve them by planting native milkweed, building a pollinator garden and avoiding toxic pesticides. This is very good advice for all yardens and yardeners.

A quote for our warring times:

Anybody who wants to rule the world should try to rule a garden first.

— Anonymous; from the National Gardening Association

Pat Pankey writes this column for Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. as a service to the community. Thomasville Garden Club, Inc. welcomes new members. If you are interested, please contact Membership Chair Julie Feinberg 229-224-5771 or any current member. The Garden Center has a library of books about gardening that are available not only to garden club members but also to the general public. To access the library or to visit the Garden Center, please contact Caroline Flowers 229-200-9197 or any current member. You may contact Linda and Joe Tarver 229-403-1187 if you are interested in renting the Garden Center for an event. The Garden Center is always open to the public on the Wednesday before the first Friday of every month, September through May. Please visit our website at www.thomasvillegardenclub.org and find us on Facebook.­

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