July 1678

1678 Twelve Months July print Henri II Bonnart (Published by) c 1678-1700 Paris

Squirrels on the ground up here in the Spring Woods again...

France 13C (Orléans, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 9, fol. 187v)

The Smithsonian relates that when the weather catches a chill in the autumn, squirrels begin what looks like preparation for a wide-scale scavenger hunt. In great numbers, squirrels begin to bury nuts!  They know food will be scarce throughout the  winter & spring...How do the squirrels find their nuts again? In the US, Eastern gray squirrels, in particular, bury their nuts far & wide. 

Scientists have observed gray squirrels frequently burying & reburying their nuts... The gray squirrel community is rampant with nut theft. Squirrels can lose as much as 25% of their cached nuts to thieves! Luckily, squirrels have developed some clever tactics to protect their nuts. Scientists have observed squirrels creating false caches in order to trick thieves. If squirrels are suspicious of thieves, they will also start to hide their nuts in difficult to reach places (such as under bushes or in muddy areas).  

A squirrel eating a nut, Add MS 18852, f. 88v

While it might be frustrating for squirrels to lose their carefully hidden nuts, it can be beneficial for other organisms. It can help the forest itself! A study done at the University of Richmond in Virginia, cites that squirrels fail to recover up to 74% of the nuts they bury. Misplacing of so many acorns (the seeds of oak trees), the study says, is likely responsible for oak forest regeneration. When squirrels misplace these buried acorns, they allow for these seeds to eventually grow into full oak trees near & far! 

See

University Of Richmond. "Researchers Tackle The Nutty Truth On Acorns And Squirrels." ScienceDaily. 26 November 1998. 

18C Allegory of Spring - Love & Bird Nests

1800 Spring by P Stampa published in London

This couple is in a garden with flowers in bloom & a cold frame on the right side. The man is picking a rose to add to the bunch he holds, while looking back at the woman, who carries a parasol. A boy shows passes a birds' nest to a little girl who holds out her apron.  In the background are men in a hay-field.

Summer - Richard Houston (Irish printmaker, c 1721 - 1775) Summer as a Woman

Richard Houston (Irish printmaker, c 1721 - 1775) The Seasons - Summer

1700s Times of Day - Richard Houston (Irish printmaker, c.1721-1775)

Richard Houston (Irish printmaker, c.1721 - 1775) Times of Day - Morning 

Richard Houston (Irish printmaker, c.1721 - 1775) Times of Day - Noon

Richard Houston (Irish printmaker, c.1721 - 1775) Times of Day - Evening

Richard Houston (Irish printmaker, c.1721 - 1775) Times of Day - Night 

1600s Times of Day - Jean Leblond 1605-1666

 Jean Leblond 1605-1666 The Times of the Day - Morning

 Jean Leblond 1605-1666 The Times of the Day - Midday

 Jean Leblond 1605-1666 The Times of the Day - Evening

Jean Leblond 1605-1666 The Times of the Day - Night