After a month of intense sunshine, excessive heat and severe drought, we in the American Heartland are searching for signs of autumn. Dry and leaf-lilttered lawns certainly evoke the image of fall but, in this case, result from dessicated vegetation and stressed trees; the latter are dropping their leaves to reduce transpiration and thereby conserve water for their more vital tissues. Yet, a month past the summer solstice, there is a sign of hope.
A promising darkness is developing across the Northern Hemisphere, welcome evidence that we have begun our slide toward winter. Sunrise is coming later and the twilight of dusk now provides earlier relief from the intense summer sun. While the daytime heat will not abate for another month or so, the lengthening nights will gradually provide cooler mornings and more pleasant evenings; the latter, filled with the music of crickets and katydids, will tempt us outdoors after our long summer estivation.
Unfortunately, little rain and persistent heat are forecast for the coming week and our patience is wearing thin. The subtle loss of sunlight is all too gradual at this point and we long for the refreshing air and sparkling snow of winter. Of course, by then, the prospect of a hot summer day will sound inviting.
