June settles Missouri into early summer — the breeding birds are feeding young, the prairies and glades blaze with high-summer color, and the warm nights ring with whip-poor-wills and the first fireflies. The garden shifts fully into its productive season as the heat builds.
Week by week in June
June 4–10
- The dawn chorus is at full volume with red-eyed vireos singing through the day from the canopy.
- The western tallgrass prairies reach a colorful peak with coneflower, leadplant, and the first compass plant.
- The first fireflies glow over the grass at dusk as the summer butterfly broods build.
- Water deeply at the base of plants and watch for the first squash bugs and tomato hornworms.
June 11–17
- The first fledglings appear at feeders, fluffy young cardinals and bluebirds begging from their parents.
- Wild bergamot and the first blazing star spikes color the prairies and glades among the deepening grasses.
- New potatoes, sweet onions, snap peas, and the first sweet corn appear at the markets.
- The Summer Triangle climbs the eastern sky and the summer Milky Way begins to rise late at night.
June 18–24
- Scissor-tailed flycatchers feed young on the western wires as Mississippi kites hawk dragonflies over the Bootheel.
- Great spangled fritillaries peak on the prairie bloom alongside monarchs of the summer generation.
- The summer solstice falls near June 20, the shortest nights of the year; the head of Scorpius clears the southern horizon.
- American basswood opens fragrant cream flowers that draw clouds of bees, and catalpa hangs showy white blooms.
June 25 – July 1
- Purple coneflower and black-eyed Susan line the roadsides as American lotus begins flowering on the oxbows.
- Cherries, the first peaches, and abundant blackberries arrive as the early summer harvest builds.
- Side-dress tomatoes and corn, and keep harvesting squash and beans promptly to keep the plants producing.
- Silver-spotted skippers and a growing variety of grass skippers work the prairie flowers.
Birds This Month
June is the heart of the Missouri breeding season, and while the spring migration rush is over, the woods and prairies are alive with song and busy parents. The dawn chorus is at full volume — wood thrushes and eastern wood-pewees in the Ozark forests, indigo buntings and field sparrows from the brushy edges, and red-eyed vireos singing tirelessly through the heat of the day from the canopy.
The grassland birds are at their peak on the prairies. Dickcissels sing their buzzy song from every fencepost and weed stalk, grasshopper and Henslow's sparrows sing their insect-like songs from the tallgrass, and eastern meadowlarks and bobolinks hold territory at places like Prairie State Park and Dunn Ranch. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are nesting and visiting feeders and bee balm, and scissor-tailed flycatchers reach the western edge of the state.
In the Bootheel swamps and at Mingo NWR, the prothonotary warblers, Mississippi kites, and wood ducks are raising young, and the great egrets and green herons work the shallows. At dusk and into the warm nights, the eastern whip-poor-will and chuck-will's-widow call relentlessly across the Ozark hills.
This month's tip: bird early, before the heat shuts down the song by mid-morning. Late June is also when the first young birds appear at feeders — watch for fluffy, begging fledgling cardinals, bluebirds, and woodpeckers learning the ropes.
What's Blooming
June carries Missouri's wildflower season into high summer on the prairies and glades. The tallgrass prairies of the west reach a colorful peak — pale purple coneflower and purple coneflower stand among the grasses, joined by black-eyed Susan, butterfly milkweed blazing orange, prairie phlox, leadplant, and the first compass plant and rosinweed.
On the Ozark glades, the Missouri evening primrose continues its big yellow bloom, and pale beardtongue, purple prairie clover, and glade coneflower add to the dolomite display. In the woods and along streams, the wild bergamot (bee balm) begins its lavender bloom buzzing with pollinators, black-eyed Susan and oxeye daisy line the roadsides, and elderberry opens flat white flower heads in the moist bottoms. The native American lotus and fragrant water lily begin flowering on the oxbows and swamps.
Where to see it: the western prairies — Prairie State Park, Taberville Prairie, and Dunn Ranch — are spectacular in June, deep in their summer bloom and humming with insects. The Ozark glades still hold color, and roadsides everywhere fill with coneflowers and black-eyed Susans. Go in the morning before the day's heat for the freshest blooms and the most pollinator activity.
Garden This Month
June shifts the Missouri garden fully into its productive summer mode. The warm-season crops are surging, and the work turns to maintenance and harvest: stake and prune the tomatoes, train the cucumbers and beans, and harvest the early squash, cucumbers, and snap beans promptly to keep the plants producing. Side-dress heavy feeders like tomatoes, corn, and peppers with compost or fertilizer as they hit their stride.
Water management becomes the central task as the heat builds. Deep, consistent watering at the base of plants — rather than frequent shallow sprinkles — prevents the blossom-end rot and fruit cracking that plague Missouri tomatoes in an uneven summer, and a thick mulch of straw or shredded leaves holds that moisture and keeps the soil cooler. Keep succession-sowing beans and sweet corn for a continued harvest, and pull or harvest the bolting cool-season crops to free up beds. Stay ahead of weeds and watch for the first pest pressure — squash bugs, bean beetles, and tomato hornworms all appear now.
Zone 6a (central Missouri): the summer garden is in full growth. Keep succession-sowing beans and sweet corn, side-dress heavy feeders like tomatoes and corn, and stake and prune tomatoes as they surge. Harvest spring crops promptly, mulch deeply against the building heat, and keep watering consistent to prevent blossom-end rot and cracking.
Zone 6b (southern Ozarks and St. Louis area): heat is arriving in earnest. Mulch everything heavily, water deeply and consistently, and harvest tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and beans as they come on. Plant heat-loving okra, southern peas, and sweet potatoes, and provide afternoon shade for any lingering cool-season greens.
Zone 7a (Bootheel): the warmest corner is into full summer production. Keep up with the rapid harvest of tomatoes, peppers, okra, beans, and southern peas, and plant more heat-lovers. Mulch and consistent deep watering are essential now, and watch for the season's first pest and disease pressure in the humid heat.
What's at the Farmers Market
June is one of the most abundant months at Missouri markets, as the late-spring crops overlap with the first summer fruits. Strawberries finish their season early in the month, handing off to the first blackberries and blueberries, and the earliest summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and green beans arrive. Sweet corn and the first tomatoes may appear by month's end in the warm south.
The greens and roots are still going strong — lettuces, Swiss chard, kale, beets, carrots, new potatoes, and the first sweet onions and garlic of the year. Look too for snap peas, broccoli, fresh herbs, and an explosion of cut flowers. The first Missouri cherries and the earliest peaches may show up at the southern markets.
For selection and storage: pick blackberries and blueberries that are fully colored and store them dry and unwashed in the refrigerator. Choose firm, glossy summer squash and cucumbers and use them within a few days. Keep tomatoes at room temperature, never refrigerated, and store new potatoes and onions in a cool, dark, dry spot. Refrigerate berries and tender greens promptly and use them quickly while they are at their peak.
Night Sky This Month
June carries the shortest nights of the Missouri year around the summer solstice near June 20, so stargazing means waiting for late darkness — but the reward is the rising summer sky. The bright stars of the Summer Triangle — Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila — climb the eastern sky through the evening, and by the late hours the heart of the summer Milky Way begins to rise in the southeast.
The orange star Arcturus still shines high overhead, and the head of Scorpius with its red heart-star Antares clears the southern horizon, followed by the teapot-shaped Sagittarius that marks the direction of our galaxy's center. There is no major meteor shower this month, so the deep-sky season takes over — the Hercules Cluster rides high, and the rich star clouds and nebulae of the Milky Way begin to reward dark-sky observers late in the night.
The dark Ozark skies of Mark Twain National Forest are at their summer best for the rising Milky Way, far from the city glow. Because the nights are short, plan for viewing well after 10 p.m., and bring insect protection for the warm, humid evenings. Since the planets shift position each year, check the printable Missouri night-sky guide for this year's planet visibility and the best moonless viewing windows from your latitude.
Butterflies & Pollinators
June is a fine butterfly month in Missouri as the summer broods build. The big swallowtails remain conspicuous — eastern tiger, black, spicebush, pipevine, and zebra swallowtails all on the wing — and they are joined now by the season's larger fritillaries. The great spangled fritillary emerges and nectars heavily on coneflower, milkweed, and bee balm, one of the signature butterflies of the Missouri summer prairie.
The meadows and prairies fill with activity. Monarchs of the summer generation patrol the milkweed, silver-spotted skippers and a growing variety of small grass skippers work the flowers, and red admirals, painted and American ladies, pearl crescents, and common buckeyes are widespread. On the glades, watch for hairstreaks and the swift variegated fritillary among the wildflowers.
To support them now: June's prairie and glade bloom — purple coneflower, butterfly milkweed, wild bergamot, and black-eyed Susan — is a butterfly buffet, and the butterfly milkweed in particular is both nectar source and monarch host. A sunny garden patch of native coneflowers and milkweeds left unmowed will draw fritillaries, monarchs, and swallowtails all month.
What to plant for them is in the Missouri native plants guide
Trees This Month
June settles the Missouri forest into deep summer green, and the tree show is quieter now that the spring bloom is over — but a few important trees flower in early summer. The American basswood (linden) opens its small, intensely fragrant cream flowers that draw clouds of bees, the catalpa hangs showy clusters of white, orchid-like blossoms, and the native chinkapin oak and other late-blooming trees finish their flowering.
The year's seed and fruit set is well underway. The silver and red maples have long since dropped their whirligig seeds, the cottonwoods finish releasing their drifting cotton, and the oaks and hickories are setting their developing acorns and nuts. In the bottomlands, the pawpaw fruits are swelling from the spring flowers, and the persimmons have set their hard green fruit. The native shortleaf pine stands fully green on the Ozark ridges, its spring growth hardened off. The forest's energy now goes into growth and fruit rather than flowers.
The Missouri native plants guide covers what grows with them
Weather & Daylight
Across Missouri, a typical June day averages a high near 84°F and a low near 63°F, with about 4.6 inches of precipitation — statewide averages from the 1991–2020 U.S. climate normals.
Summer heat arrives in earnest, highs in the mid-80s and warm, sticky nights in the low 60s under thick air.
| Average high | 84°F |
|---|---|
| Average low | 63°F |
| Precipitation | 4.6 in |
| Sunrise (mid-month) | 5:45 CT |
| Sunset (mid-month) | 20:35 CT |
Figures are statewide averages over the 1991–2020 U.S. climate normals; local conditions vary with elevation and distance from the coast. Sunrise and sunset are computed for a midstate point on the 15th (CT).
Next month's version of this page, by email
One short note when Missouri's next month turns — what's arriving, blooming, and worth a night outside.
Go deeper with the Missouri guides
The complete Missouri birding, native-plant, and night-sky references — or the whole year, week by week, in one book.
Same month elsewhere: June in Montana · June in Nebraska · June in Nevada