Silence, and Trash

The silence is deafening. The drone of insects, the wind blowing through the leaves... the sound track of summer, now so deeply diminished. The trees are quickly becoming bare, the flowers are gone and with them many of the insects, and many birds have headed south. Even the small birds picking at the remaining insects and berries are quieter than before.

The loss of greenery reveals the mess we humans leave behind. This is just not my favorite time of year. It's not winter yet, not for quite a while. But the change is startling, and I miss the abundance of summer.

There is life here still. The woodpeckers continue to call, and their antics are pure pleasure. Below the leaves and soil and under the bark, new little creatures are preparing for their premiere next year. Not so little ones are hunkering down against the chilly nights and the bitter cold to come. And then there are the less animated life forms - ground cover, mosses, and fungi. Even when winter comes, it's amazing how quickly small plants will spring up during any warm periods.

So I need to work on my attitude and try to learn about the things that I can see now. I'm glad that I have a big backlog of pictures, though, and I really appreciate inaturalist. I can visit summertime in my files and continue to post and learn.

Posted on November 11, 2020 05:34 AM by whateverwatcher