summer visitors II

Cows are here for the summer, too. They'll be around longer than the kids and grandkids. Wish it was the other way around.

summer visitors

season of shadows

We've had a succession of sunny days. The shadows of summer clouds on the Green Mountains is an iconic sight. Vermont has a lot of big trees and dirt roads which bring about sun-dappled scenes like the one above.

goldfinches

Goldfinches seen blasting around in the back. Trucks and trailers from Celebrations Rentals, a company specializing in weddings and events, seemingly everywhere right now. The summer road construction season is in full swing.

appearing

Black-eyed Susans appearing. Heard the call of a wood thrush yesterday. One of the most beautiful sounds of summer.

https://musicofnature.com/video/wood-thrush/

summer solstice

It is the noon
Orioles are crying
The river flows on in silence.
Issa

ordinary

Summer vehicles on the roads in Vermont. Saw a group of motorcycles driving by on Rte 133 the other day. There must have been 100 of them. Campers and winnebagos prevalent. Cow vetch is flowering. Cow vetch is about as humble a plant as could be. Even its name sounds like a pejorative. Wikipedia says that, "It occurs on other continents as an introduced species where it is a common weed. It often occurs in disturbed habitats including old fields and roadside ditches."

But that's not the end of the story. Wikipedia also says that, "Cow vetch is widely used as a forage crop for cattle, and is beneficial to other plants because like other leguminous plants it enriches the soil in which it grows by its nitrogen-fixing properties." Cow vetch is also much appreciated by bees and butterflies as a source of nectar. The plant is also used to curb erosion.

It is also beautiful with its variegated shades of pink and purple. Ordinary and beautiful, mundane and miraculous. Such is the story of many  phenomena from the natural world.