Reflection on Summer
I began to sense a slowdown in the woods about mid-July, a few weeks after the solstice. The avian chorus of spring was quieting; long songs giving way to short calls and chirps. The leaves on plants were showing signs of grazing and browsing as production gave way to consumption. Rainy days turned into afternoon thundershowers unable to maintain the water table; large vernal pools shrank and the small ones disappeared leaving only damp spots on the ground. All, a seeming prelude to fall in the midst of summer.
