Sumac

Moon phase: Waning crescent
Weather: Hot

This a group of staghorn sumacs (Rhus typhina) in Maine.

Boats

Moon phase: Waning crescent
Weather: Hot

Self-heal

Moon phase: Last quarter
Weather: Ugh, still hot & humid
Phenology: Acorns are starting to fall

This little purple flower is self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), also known as all-heal and heal-all, is a little plant commonly found in yards and waste areas. It has a number of medicinal uses, as the common names suggest.

Full moon

Moon phase: Full moon
Weather: Cool again

This moon is from last month, when I was in Maine. We went out to the beach to watch it rise, and it was so hazy we couldn't see anything even though the moon should've been up already. The mosquitoes were starting to get bad and we were about to leave, when I noticed a pale pink disk rising in the clouds. It got brighter and brighter and finally rose above the clouds. Without all the lights of the city, the moon was just luminous.

Dead trees

Moon phase: Waxing crescent
Weather: Warm & sunny

Here's my first picture from my recent trip to Maine. Lots more on the way...

Mugwort leaf

Moon phase: Waning crescent
Weather: Hot and raining

The underside of a mugwort leaf (Artemisia vulgaris). Mugwort has a number of uses: it's a flavoring for meat and beer, it's used as an emmenagogue/abortifacient, and it's used to induce lucid, vivid, and prophetic dreams, among other things. It's a non-native plant, but I still love it.

More info from my herbs site.

Spiderwort

Moon phase: Waning crescent
Weather: Hot & humid

Spiderwort flowers (Tradescantia virginiana).

Hawk

Moon phase: Waning crescent
Weather: Endlessly hot & humid
Phenology: Black-eyed susans are blooming

A hawk on McKinley Street in NW. For a while there were a pair I would see around there occasionally, but I haven't seen them in a while. Based on the tail markings, I think it's a juvenile red-tailed hawk, but I'm far from an expert.