Quiet winter nights

I tried a full moon night hike (at the Garden) for the first time yesterday. It was unusually warm for February, but a break after the cold weather last week.

What was remarkable was how quiet it was. Without the nocturnal symphony of crickets, katydids, and cicadas, the sounds were those of human habitat, cars in the distance and a faint bagpipe at dusk.

And the lights visible in winter -- apartments towards the highway, student apartments the other direction, security lights -- yikes! In spring and summer, night hikes in the Garden feel like you're out in the woods.