U - Red Admiral butterfly

The earth is at perihelion this time of year - closer to the sun by about 3 million miles.  The earth's orbit is an ellipse w/ the sun at one focal point (Kepler's first law).  However, being that much closer only amounts to a boost of a little over 1 degree F warmer.  Yes, just as you learned in school, it's not how close the sun is to the earth but the earth's tilt that causes the seasons.  So, at least for those of you in living in the Northern Hemisphere, remember, it could be worse - by about 1 degree.