June is summer's sweet spot. Just after Memorial Day, we get four weeks of ideal weather to enjoy before the hot and humid dog days arrive. And what a month in which to be born!
Birthday party organizers can choose from a near endless variety of recreational options for entertainment: cookouts with yard games, visits to the beach, fishing, boating, hiking. For sporting types, basketball and tennis in the park or a picturesque round of golf all can serve as appetizers for watching this month's professional basketball championship and one of the major tournaments in both golf and tennis. June is also prime music festival season, a chance to catch three or four favorite acts. Best of all, June contains the most daylight of any month; 2022's summer solstice — the year's longest day — falls on June 21. Plan big, because with school out for summer partygoers' schedules should be wide open!
June brings certain fun for all, but for those born this month, it provides a few unique personal qualities.
June babies aim tall and go big
June, it seems, can provide size, smarts, and smiles — not a bad set of birthday gifts! U.K. studies have found June babies to be some of the largest at birth, as well as the tallest come adulthood. But even those who get the short end of the stick may be headed onward and upward: June has been found to be the most common birth month among Nobel Prize winners, and those born during the spring and summer have been shown to possess long-lasting optimism and a positive personal outlook.
June birthdays stay on the bright side
Seasonal affective disorder, a pattern of depression and fatigue occurring during the year's darker, colder months, can be a tough condition to deal with. June-born individuals, however, have been found to be less likely to suffer from the disorder, which scientists speculate may be related to the pleasant weather and sunshine experienced during a June child's most formative years. And while June babies have also been found to be more likely to experience mood swings than those born in the fall or winter, their naturally positive and level-headed natures help to even out their emotions quickly and effectively.
June feels sweet as roses and honey
June's primary birth flower is perhaps nature's most recognizable bloom, and definitely one of its most fragrant: the rose. Upon hearing the name, most people picture the simple red rose, though nearly 150 species of the flower exist — among them, long stem, shrub types, and others that climb like vines. They've been around for quite a while, too: The oldest rose first bloomed a whopping 35 million years ago!
Roses come in a variety of colors, each with its own meaning: A pink rose expresses pure happiness, white represents virtue and clarity, red says "I love you," and yellow expresses an entirely different form of desire: jealousy. Gifting roses in full bouquets communicates utmost gratitude, while gifting just one serves as an exclamation point: A single red rose expresses absolute and eternal commitment, while one yellow says "I seriously envy your partner!"
The honeysuckle, a flavorful favorite of hummingbirds and humans alike, is also a June birth flower. Like roses, they come in both shrub (the best bird magnets) and vine forms (which can grow up to 30 feet tall), and are found in 200 varieties across the globe. All honeysuckles symbolize serenity, and, given their succulent nectar, sweetness — though, specifically, pink, yellow, and red represent friendship, flirtation, and passion, respectively. Honeysuckles also stand for maternal energy, as the butterflies and bees they attract carry plenty of pollen, a substance responsible for reproducing Mother Earth's flowering plant life. Native to east Asia, the honeysuckle is a latecomer to North America, where its cultivation began in Long Island, New York, during the early 1800s.
June's signs are tireless and caring
With lives never dull, and at times almost too hectic to imagine, Geminis (May 21 to June 21) are perpetually curious people, driven to explore the realms of society, intellect, and finance. Geminis make thrilling friends, and potentially epic business partners, though some possess such thin attention spans that something as small as a distracting text thread could end their work day. As social chameleons, Geminis surround themselves with all sorts of life options — from arranging two sets of dinner plans for one night (before canceling one at the last minute) to maintaining multiple circles of friends (each intentionally kept separate). Well-known Geminis include Kanye West (June 8), Marilyn Monroe (June 1), and Chris Pratt (June 21).
Cancers (June 22 to July 22) are an intuitive and imaginative group, remarkably gifted in realms of communication. Always in tune with the vibe of the room, Cancers are adept at picking up subtleties of speech and body language that fly right past other signs. Possessing loads of empathy, Cancers are also perpetually easy to talk to — even for complete strangers — and make perfect confidantes. Definitely an emotional sign, social discord or personal stress can send a Cancer right back inside their shell. When around trusted friends, however, even a chronically uptight Cancer unwinds quickly. Tom Hanks (July 9), Princess Diana (July 1), Post Malone (July 4), Margot Robbie (July 2), and Will Ferrell (July 16) are all born under Cancer.
AUTHOR
A former arts and culture writer for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's Pulitzer Prize-winning Patriot News, Jonathan Rowe is a New York-based feature writer for SPIN, Men's Fitness, and WONDERLUST travel. He has crafted original content and news for Sony Music, Live Nation, Spotify, and ESPN, and works as a songwriter in conjunction with multiple Grammy winners.