June 1 is the beginning of the meteorological summer, and June has the longest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. June 21 (summer solstice) signals the official start of the summer season. Father’s Day falls on the third Sunday in June. School’s out, vacationing is in, and it’s hot. Drink plenty of water, and protect yourself from over exposure to the sun.
Now let’s look at a few symbols for the month of June. The birthstones for June include the Alexandrite, the Moonstone and the pearl, symbolizing health and longevity. The birth flowers of June are the honeysuckle and the rose.
The Birthstones Of June: Alexandrite, Pearl & Moonstone
Alexandrite is a variety of chrysoberyl, an aluminate of beryllium. Chrysoberyl lies at 8.5 on the hardness scale, between corundum and topaz. It changes color in artificial light compared to daylight. It is typically emerald green in daylight and exhibits a reddish color in incandescent light.
Pearls are produced in the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusc. Pearls are made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form that are deposited in concentric layers. The most valuable pearls occur naturally in the wild, known as natural pearls.
The moonstone’s name is derived from its visual effect, caused by light diffraction within a microstructure of feldspar layers. Moonstone has been used in jewelry for centuries, with some legends suggesting it was created from solidified moon rays.
The Birthflowers Of June: Honeysuckle & Rose
The Honeysuckle is an arching shrub or twining vine in the family Caprifoliaceae. It often attracts hummingbirds because of its sweet, edible nectar, although the berries of many species are mildly poisonous. The Rose is a woody perennial in the family Rosaceae; the flowers vary in size and shape, ranging in color from white to yellow to red. “Honeysuckle Rose” is a song composed by Fats Waller in 1929, with lyrics by Andy Razaf.
