August 13

Saturday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi.  The late morning weather was mostly sunny with a temperature of 68 degrees and a steady wind out of the south. Descending the hill toward Mallard Marsh, I saw the first of a dozen Sulfur Butterflies fluttering in the field. I walked through Bobolink Meadow where I noticed that many of the Queen Anne’s Lace flower heads had lost their blossoms and were folding up into the familiar “bird nest” shape.  I turned at the entrance to North Woods and came to Willow Wallow where I walked west and noticed lots of pine cone galls on some Black Willows. The gall is made by the larva of a small mosquito-like fly called a gall gnat. The larva contains a powerful growth substance that makes the willow stem grow abnormally. By releasing this chemical at the correct time, the young gnat prevents the stem from elongating and causes the immature leaves to broaden and harden in the shape of scales on a cone. The little larva lives in a small chamber in the center of the gall. After it has had its fill of food, it hibernates for the winter in this chamber awaiting warm weather in order to metamorphose into a gnat. I continued around Succession Field and noticed that both the Canadian Goldenrod and the Lance-leaved Goldenrod were beginning to show their yellow blossoms. It won’t be long before this color dominates the meadow. On the far west trail, I was please to get close enough to a Giant Swallowtail Butterfly to take its picture. Also, I walked by a plant with white flower clusters that has stumped me for over a year. Recently, I thought it was Butterfly Bush. However, after further investigation, I have decided it was a Narrowleaf Meadowsweet. Next, I noticed near the ground the purple flowers of Heal-All. This plant is both edible and medicinal. It can be used in salads, soups and stews. It has been used as an alternative medicine for centuries on just about every continent in the world and for just about every ailment. Heal-all was once proclaimed to be a holy herb and was thought to be sent by God to cure all ailments of man or beast. It was said to drive away the devil. I passed Artist Overlook and continued along the south trail next to Sora Swale where I could hear the continual chorus of Katydids and Crickets. I turned at Frog Fen and climbed to the top of Reflection Hill. From the top of the hill I saw my first Praying Mantis of the season flying low in the meadow and landing on a Goldenrod plant. Finally, I descended the hill, passed the Classroom Building, got in the van and took off for home.

Heat urges secret odors from the grass.

Blunting the edge of silence, crickets shrill.

Wings veer: inane needles of light, and pass.

Laced pools: the warm wood-shadows ebb and fill.

The wind is casual, loitering to crush

The sun upon his palate, and to draw

Pungence from pine, frank fragrances from brush,

Sucked up through thin grey boughs as through a straw.

Moss-green, fern-green and leaf and meadow-green

Are broken by the bare, bone-colored roads,

Less moved by stirring air than by unseen

Soft-footed ants and meditative toads.

Summer is passing, taking what she brings:

Green scents and sounds, and quick ephemeral wings.

Babette Deutsch