For the naturalist, mid summer is the closest nature comes to a steady state. The weather varies little from day to day, plants are maturing but the explosive growth of spring has ended and the new generations of birds and mammals are increasingly independent.
Migrant flocks of shorebirds are now drifting into our wetlands but the massive exodus of songbirds, waterfowl and some raptors is still months away. Oppressive heat suppresses daytime activity for most birds and mammals and has taken a toll on the verdant landscape of spring and early summer. Even the atmospheric turmoil of that period has settled into a predictable pattern of daytime heat and evening thunderstorms.
Most of us limit our outdoor activity to the morning or late daylight hours and our expectation for new discoveries is at an annual low. Only the amphibians, reptiles and insects thrive in the cauldron of mid summer and many humans, myself included, yearn for the cool change of autumn and the natural invigoration that comes with that season.
Migrant flocks of shorebirds are now drifting into our wetlands but the massive exodus of songbirds, waterfowl and some raptors is still months away. Oppressive heat suppresses daytime activity for most birds and mammals and has taken a toll on the verdant landscape of spring and early summer. Even the atmospheric turmoil of that period has settled into a predictable pattern of daytime heat and evening thunderstorms.
Most of us limit our outdoor activity to the morning or late daylight hours and our expectation for new discoveries is at an annual low. Only the amphibians, reptiles and insects thrive in the cauldron of mid summer and many humans, myself included, yearn for the cool change of autumn and the natural invigoration that comes with that season.
