The growing season, like the dormant season, persists so long that I begin to take it for granted. Then early goldenrods begin to bloom, heralding the approach of fall. I worry that I haven’t enjoyed summer to its fullest. As I walk through green woods filled with insect and amphibian sounds, an eastern wood pewee sings a lonely song. The forest isn’t empty, but many other birds have abandoned breeding behavior and even breeding territories.

I know I’m just objecting to the way time marches forward and every other being insists on living its life while I’m preoccupied by mine. Summer is still here. We have plenty of domesticated pleasures to indulge in like zucchinis, tomatoes, and blueberries ripe for picking. Cardinal flowers beckon just beyond where woods meet lawn. Dragonflies hover over remnants of the stream, disturbing the water with their wingbeats. Lush stands of poison ivy whisper “mindfulness” against my boots.


Maidenhair ferns


Cardinal flower


Skunk cabbage disintegrating