Cricket song

Field crickets are singing loudly tonight, clearly in great numbers based on the volume. I can't say it's melodious, since it's basically one call over and over. But it's remarkably loud, and it fills the night, so we're surrounded with warm humid air and the shu-shu two note calls, over and over. It's the sound of southern summer nights in the Eastern U.S.

Summer

Coming home after dinner with friends, it was a perfect summer evening in the South. The air was humid and heavy from the afternoon thunderstorm, and the crickets and other insects well underway with their evening songs.

The crescent moon was high in the sky. My camera 'saw' the entire moon as well as stars that I couldn't see.

Time for gardening

The humid spring air early this morning felt fresh and mild. It rained yesterday and last night, leaving small leafy branches scattered about. It must have rained hard; the Spanish lavender and parsley looked pummeled, but everything else seemed to have grown overnight, soaking up moisture.

The early morning light was soft, with the pink humid edges we see in tropical areas, and with no hint of the hot hazy humidity to come.

Today is the first day of summer break, bringing with it a delightful sense of anticipation, and days of poking around in the garden and in the field ahead. I love what I do, and actually in summer, I don't really do much differently, but am grateful for being able to reorient my time to focus on the natural world without the schedule of work and programs.

The garden is waiting outside my study window.