A month past the solstice, the days are noticeably shorter but the summer heat is peaking; indeed, here in the Midwest, average daily highs peak in late July and early August as the relentless sun brings soil and surface water temperatures to their annual maximum. In most years, the shift from spring moisture to autumn dryness has begun, vegetation growth grinds to a halt and insects rule the land.
Retreating from the mid day heat, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians assume a crepuscular lifestyle, limiting most of their activity to the morning and evening hours. Birdsong has nearly vanished, represented primarily by the predawn chorus of robins, the busy tune of chickadees and the occasional ringing song of a Carolina wren; in its place a buzz of insects greets the dawn, the rising call of cicadas fills the late afternoon and a symphony of fiddlers tune up during the evening hours.
If we can endure a few more weeks in this steamy oven, the longer nights will begin to have an effect and the first signs of autumn will appear across the landscape. While summer heat may sound inviting in the midst of a dark, cold, winter, the opposite is also true; a good snowstorm sounds wonderful about now.
