Word-Wednesday for June 24, 2026

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for June 24, 2026, the twenty-fifth Wednesday of the year, the first Wednesday of summer, the fourth Wednesday of June, and the one-hundred seventy-fifth day of the year, with one-hundred ninety days remaining.


Wannaska Phenology Update for June 24, 2026
Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis — misudidjiibik, in Anishinaabe — now blooming throughout Wannaska, s a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae (buttercups). Beloved by hummingbirds, columbines sport colorful flowers with five sepals and five petals, where the petals generally feature nectar spurs which differ in length between species.

The first-century AD Greek writer Dioscorides referred to columbine plants as Isopyrum, a name that is now applied to another genus, Isopyrum. In the 12th century, the abbess and polymath Hildegard of Bingen referred to the plants as agleya – from which the genus's name in German, Akelei, derives. The first use of aquilegia with regard to columbines was in the 13th century by Albertus Magnus. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the names Colombina, Aquilina, and Aquileia came into use.

Columbines were associated with fertility goddesses in ancient Greek and ancient Roman religion, and connected to Christian religious concepts. Archeological evidence suggests Aquilegia plants were in cultivation by the third century AD in Roman Britain, and they remain popular in gardens worldwide. Despite often being toxic, columbines have been in use by humans as herbal remedies, perfume, and food. Asian traditional medicine practitioners, Indigenous North Americans, and Medieval Europeans have considered portions of the plants to have medicinal uses. 

Word-Wednesday Warning: Among Aquilegia that have cyanophores (cells that produce a blue color) like A. vulgaris, the cyanogenic glycosides compounds dhurrin and triglochinin have been observed. Cyanogenic glycosides generally taste bitter and can be toxic to animals and humans. Ingestion of 20 grams (0.71 oz) of fresh A. vulgaris leaves by a human was observed to cause convulsions, respiratory distress, and heart failure.

June 24 Fickle Pickle Wednesday Menu Special: Potato Dumpling


June 24 Nordhem Wednesday Lunch: Updated daily, occasionally.


Earth/Moon Almanac for June 24, 2026
Sunrise: 5:21am; Sunset: 9:31pm; 18 seconds less daylight today
Moonrise: 4:56pm; Moonset: 1:44am, waxing gibbous, 71% illuminated.


Temperature Almanac for June 24, 2026
                Average            Record              Today
High             75                     93                     68
Low              55                     33                     51

To the Painted Columbine
by Jones Very

Bright image of the early years
When glowed my cheek as red as thou,
And life's dark throng of cares and fears
Were swift-winged shadows o'er my sunny brow!

Thou blushest from the painter's page,
Robed in the mimic tints of art;
But Nature's hand in youth's green age
With fairer hues first traced thee on my heart.

The morning's blush, she made it thine,
The morn's sweet breath, she gave it thee,
And in thy look, my Columbine!
Each fond-remembered spot she bade me see.

I see the hill's far-gazing head,
Where gay thou noddest in the gale;
I hear light-bounding footsteps tread
The grassy path that winds along the vale.

I hear the voice of woodland song
Break from each bush and well-known tree,
And on light pinions borne along,
Comes back the laugh from childhood's heart of glee.

O'er the dark rock the dashing brook,
With look of anger, leaps again,
And, hastening to each flowery nook,
Its distant voice is heard far down the glen.

Fair child of art! thy charms decay,
Touched by the withered hand of Time;
And hushed the music of that day,
When my voice mingled with the streamlet's chime;

But on my heart thy cheek of bloom
Shall live when Nature's smile has fled;
And, rich with memory's sweet perfume,
Shall o'er her grave thy tribute incense shed.

There shalt thou live and wake the glee
That echoed on thy native hill;
And when, loved flower! I think of thee,
My infant feet will seem to seek thee still.

June 24 Celebrations from National Day Calendar

• National Take Back the Lunch Break Day
• National Pralines Day
• National Patch Day
• National Parchment Day
• National Swim a Lap Day
• Enyovden, Jaanipäev, Jāņi, Jónmessa, Midsummer Day
• International Fairy Day

June 24 Word Pun
Sven lost his new job as a stage designer. He left without making a scene.


June 24 Word Riddle
Where did the king exile the Athenians who smirked at his majesty?*

A Chairman Joe original

June 24 The Devil’s Dictionary Word-Pram
HATCHET, n., a young axe, known among Indians as a Thomashawk.

    "O bury the hatchet, irascible Red,
    For peace is a blessing," the White Man said.
    The Savage concurred, and that weapon interred,
    With imposing rites, in the White Man's head.
                                                        —John Lukkus


June 24 Etymology Word of the Week
red
/red/ adj., of a color at the end of the spectrum next to orange and opposite violet, as of blood, fire, or rubies, from "of a bright, warm color resembling that of blood or of the highest part of the primary rainbow" [Century Dictionary], Middle English rēd, redde, read, reid, from Old English rēad, used of various shades of purple, crimson, scarlet, pink, etc.; also red clothes, dye, ink, wine, or paint, also "having a ruddy or reddish complexion; red-haired, red-bearded;" from Proto-Germanic rauthan (source also of Old Norse rauðr, Danish rød, Old Saxon rod, Old Frisian rad, Middle Dutch root, Dutch rood, German rot, Gothic rauþs).

This is reconstructed to be from a Proto-Indo-European root reudh- "red, ruddy," the only color for which a definite common Proto-Indo-European root word has been found. It also is the root of native ruddy, rust, and, via Latin, ruby, rubric, russet, etc.

Along with dead, bread (n.), lead (n.), its long vowel shortened in or after Middle English. The surname Read, Reid, Reade, etc. represents the old form of the adjective and retains the original Old English long vowel pronunciation. It corresponds to Brown, Black, White; Red itself being rare as a surname. As the color designation of Native Americans in English from 1580s.

In fixed comparisons, red as blood (Old English), roses (mid-13th century), cherry (circa 1400). From Old English as the color characteristic of inflammation, blistering, etc. Of the complexion, lips, etc., "ruddy, rosy, red" (circa 1200); also of person with a healthy complexion or skin color; to be red in the face as a result of powerful emotion or agitation is by circa 1200; to see red "get angry" is an American English expression attested by 1898.

Red as the characteristic color of "British possessions" on a map is attested from 1885. Red-white-and-blue in reference to American patriotism, from the colors of the flag, is from 1840; in a British context, in reference to the Union flag, 1852.

Red rover, the children's game, attested from 1891. Red ball signifying "express" in railroad jargon is by 1904, originally (1899) a system of moving and tracking freight cars. Red dog, type of U.S. football pass rush, is recorded from 1959 (earlier "lowest grade of flour produced in a mill," by 1889). Red meat, that which is ordinarily served or preferred undercooked, is from 1808; the food of wild beasts, hence its figurative use for something that satisfies a basic appetite (by 1792; popular from late 20th century).

Red shift in spectography is first recorded 1923. Red carpet "sumptuous welcome" is from 1934, but the custom for dignitaries is described as far back as Aeschylus ("Agamemnon"); it also was the name of a type of English moth. Red ant is from 1660s.


June 24 Historic Events, Literary or Otherwise, from On This Day

• 451 Tenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet.
• 1374 Sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion.
• 1441 Eton College founded in England by Henry VI.
• 1527 Paracelsus publicly burns standard medical textbooks at the University of Basel, as a protest against the current teaching and practice of medicine.
• 1794 Bowdoin College is founded in Maine.
• 1841 Fordham University (then St John's College), opens in the Bronx.
• 1880 First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français.
• 1901 First exhibition by Pablo Picasso, aged 19, opens in Paris.

June 24 Author/Artist/Character Birthdays, from On This Day

• 1542 St. John of the Cross [Juan de Yepes y Álvarez], Spanish Carmelite mystic and poet.
• 1590 Samuel Ampzing, Dutch minister, poet.
• 1704 Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens, French writer.
• 1746 Jean-Baptiste Rochefort, French composer.
• 1747 Johann Melchior Dreyer, German composer.
• 1747 John O'Keeffe, Irish writer.
• 1762 Johann Paul Wessely [Jan Pavel Veselý], Czech violinist and composer.
• 1803 George James Webb, English-American composer.
• 1806 Anna Caroline Oury (née De Belleville), German concert pianist and composer.
• 1840 Louis Brassin, Belgian composer.
• 1840 Frances O'Brien, Irish poet and novelist.
• 1842 Ambrose Bierce, American writer, satirist, and author of The Devil's Dictionary.
• 1847 Gaston Salvayre, French composer.
• 1854 Eleanor Norcross, American painter.
• 1865 Robert Henri, American painter.
• 1873 Thomas Carl Whitmer, American composer.
• 1875 Forrest Reid, Irish novelist.
• 1877 Aleksei M. Remizov, Russian writer.
• 1879 Agrippina J. Vaganova, Russian ballet dancer.
• 1881 George Shiels, Irish-Canadian author, poet, and playwright
• 1883 Fritz Löhner-Beda, Czech writer.
• 1838 Jan Matejko, Polish painter.
• 1886 George Shiels, Irish dramatist.
• 1888 Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect.
• 1899 Bruce Marshall, Scottish writer.
• 1901 Harry Partch, American composer.
• 1901 Marcel Mule, French classical saxophonist.
• 1904 Kurt Kusenberg, German writer.
• 1905 Michael Scott, Irish architect.
• 1906 Willard Maas, American poet.
• 1907 Arseny Tarkovsky, Russian poet.
• 1907 José de Lima Siqueira, Brazilian conductor, and composer.
• 1908 Guru Gopinath, Indian classical dancer.
• 1909 Betty Cavanna, American author.
• 1910 Denis Dowling, New Zealand-born British operatic baritone.
• 1910 Margaret Kelly, Irish dancer.
• 1911 Ernesto Sábato, Argentinian writer.
• 1911 Portia White, Canadian contralto.
• 1916 John Ciardi, American poet.
• 1916 Ruth Shaw Wylie, American composer.
• 1916 Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese abstract artist.
• 1920 Bernhard Krol, German hornist and composer.
• 1922 Roy Elihu Travis, American composer.
• 1923 Margaret Olley, Australian still-life and interiors painter.
• 1923 Yves Bonnefoy, French poet.
• 1935 Jiří Teml, Czech composer.
• 1936 J.H. Prynne, British poet.
• 1939 Brigitte Fontaine, French pop and avant-garde singer-songwriter, playwright, and novelist.
• 1939 Stephen Dunn, American poet.
• 1942 Gerhart Roth, Austrian writer.
• 1944 Kathryn Lasky, American author.
• 1950 Mercedes Lackey, American science fiction author.
• 1950 Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish photographer.
• 1952 Stephen Pusey, Irish artist.
• 1953 Ivo Lill, Estonian glass artist.

Words-I-Looked-Up-This-Week Writer's Challenge 
Write a story or pram from the following words:

• agist: /ə-JIST/ v., take in and feed (livestock) for payment.
• byre: /BĪ-(ə)r/ n., a cow shed.
• callithump: KAL-uh-thump/ n., a noisy, boisterous procession or parade characterized by music, clamor, and often playful disorder; by extension, any loud and chaotic commotion. 
• longueur: /lawn-GUR/ n., to a boring part of something (such as a book or play).
• maculate: /MAK-yə-lāt/ adj., spotted or stained.
• noctule: /NÄK-CHo͞ol/ n., a large golden-brown bat native to Eurasia and North Africa with long, slender wings, rounded ears, and a short muzzle.
• palaquin: /pal-ən-KĒN/ n., a covered litter for one passenger, consisting of a large box carried on two horizontal poles by four or six bearers.
• pedomancy: /PED-oh-man-see/ n., divination or fortune-telling by inspection of the soles of the feet.
• shufti: /ˈSHo͝oF-tē/ n., a look or reconnoiter, especially a quick one.
• welter: WEL-ter/ v., to roll, toss, or surge about in a confused or turbulent manner; to be immersed in, overwhelmed by, or entangled within a disorderly mass of things.

June 24, 2026 Word-Wednesday Feature
Hummingbird Review
Word-Wednesday headquarters hosts four hummingbird feeders, which currently require weekly refilling — before the new charm (collective noun) of hummingbirds have fledged this summer. Because of their vibrant, iridescent colors and energetic flying, hummingbirds are also poetically referred to as a bouquet, a shimmer, or a glittering. Refill time is the best time to clean the feeders, using a solution of one part white vinegar to four parts water.

The ruby-throated hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris, or nenookaasi in Anishinaabe, featured heavily in the oral traditions of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, later transcribed into anthologies of folklore. In Hopi and Zuni traditions, hummingbirds are revered as divine messengers and rain-makers who intervene with the gods to save human crops. They also prominently represent the sun, vitality, and the reincarnation of fallen warriors in Aztec and Mayan mythology. In Anishinaabe culture, the hummingbird is a symbol of resilience, love, and tireless dedication. A well-known oral tradition tells the story of Nenookaasi continuously carrying drops of water in its beak to help put out a massive forest fire, teaching that even the smallest actions make a significant. When it comes to prams, D.H. Lawrence wrote Humming-Bird, Mary Oliver wrote Humminbirds, and Beatrice Witte Ravenel wrote The Humming-Bird.

In the world of prose, The Hummingbirds’ Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings, by Sy Montgomery, describes the many wonders of this miracle of flight:

Hummingbirds are the lightest birds in the sky. Of their roughly 240 species, all confined to the Western Hemisphere, the largest, an Andean “giant,” is only eight inches long; the smallest, the bee hummingbird of Cuba, is just over two inches long and weighs a single gram.

Delicacy is the trade-off that hummingbirds have made for their unrivaled powers of flight. Alone among birds, they can hover, fly backward, even fly upside down. For such small birds their speed is astonishing: in his courtship display to impress a female, a male Allen’s hummingbird, for instance, can dive out of the sky reaching sixty-one miles per hour, plunging from fifty feet at a rate of more than sixty feet per second — and pulling out of his plunge, he experiences more than nine times the force of gravity. Adjusted for body length, the Allen’s is the fastest bird in the world.

Hummingbirds are less flesh than fairies. They are little more than bubbles fringed with iridescent feathers — air wrapped in light. No wonder even experts who are experienced with other birds are intimidated by this fragility.

Their feet are like thread. Touching them damages their feathers. Yes, they are made of air — air and a humongous heart. That’s all they are. It floors me I’m able to work with them. The upstroke as well as downstroke require enormous strength; every stroke is a power stroke. Like insects and helicopters, hummingbirds can fly backward by slanting the angle of the wings; they can fly upside down by spreading the tail to lead the body into a backward somersault. Hovering becomes so natural to a hummingbird that a mother who wants to turn in her nest does it by lifting straight up into the air, twirling, then coming back down. A hummer can stay suspended in the air for up to an hour.

Hummingbirds are specially equipped to perform these feats. In most birds, 15 to 25 percent of the body is given over to flying muscles. In a hummingbird’s body, flight muscles account for 35 percent. An enormous heart constitutes up to 2.5 percent of its body weight — the largest per body weight of all vertebrates. At rest, the hummingbird pumps blood at a rate fifteen times as fast as that of a resting ostrich, and that blood is exceptionally rich in oxygen-carrying hemoglobin.

To fuel the furious pace of its life — even resting, it breathes 250 times a minute, and its heart pounds at five hundred beats per minute — a hummer must daily visit fifteen hundred flowers and eat six hundred to seven hundred insects. If the nectar alone were converted to its human equivalent, that would be fifteen gallons a day.

And we think WE'RE so busy...


From A Year with Rilke, June 24 Entry
David Sings Before Saul (II), from New Prams

My king, all of this was yours.
The force of your living
oppressed and overshadowed me.
Come down from your throne and break this harp
that you have wearied.

It is like a tree picked bare, and
through branches that once bore you fruit
a depth is staring as from days to come,
days I cannot know.

Let me sleep no more beside the harp.
Look at my hand, still a boy's hand.
Do you think it could not span
the octaves of a lover's body?

David Playing the Harp before Saul 
by Rembrandt van Rijn

Be better than yesterday, 
learn a new word today, 
try to stay out of trouble — at least until tomorrow, 
and write when you have the time.






*To the islands of the Sardonic Gulf.