June

Average high: 98.5°F (36.9°C)
Average low: 67.3°F (19.6°C)
Relative humidity at 5 am: 32%
Relative humidity at 5 pm: 13%
Normal rainfall: .24” (6.1mm)

Famously hot and dry characterizes June in the desert, with lots of days over 100°F (38°C)—and a few as high as 110°F (43°C) or more—and often not a drop of moisture. The high country will remain relatively cool, in the 80s even when the mercury climbs over the century mark down below.

Flora
Saguaro cactus fruits ripen, split open, and fall to the ground; many birds, insects, and mammals feed on them. Bean pods on mesquites, palo verdes, and catclaw acacias are ripening, as are jojoba seeds. If winter or early spring rains were plentiful, sacred datura may bloom. Organ pipe cactus continue to open their pale lavender blooms.

Fauna
Many snakes bear live young or lay eggs this month, including gopher snakes, common kingsnakes, Sonoran whipsnakes, and western diamondback and tiger rattlesnakes. Days are filled with the buzzing of male cicadas, also known as “cactus dodgers,”as the insects try to attract mates. Lesser nighthawks fill the warm nights with their unique trilling calls. This is a good month to see hawks that breed in riparian areas with tall cottonwoods or sycamore trees; look for gray, black and zone-tailed hawks, and Mississippi kites.

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