Dragonfly Summer

A walk with friends along a path strewn with yellow vetch and spotted with daisies reveled not a morning resonate with bird song but one resplendant with flashes of richly jeweled dragonflies. One of my new favorites is the Ebony Jewelwing.

Widow Skimmer

Ruby Meadowhawk

Common Pondhawk (female)

Spangled Skimmer

Ebony Jewelwing

Sounds of Summer

Summer sounds for some it is the chirp of crickets on warm summer nights, or the ring of horseshoes tossed against the metal stake, the insistent whine of a mosquito trapped in the bedroom, or the high buzz of the cicadas in the dog days of August. Yes, we have all of those on the mountain, but the loudest and single most extraordinary sound of summer is the cacophony of Katydids. It starts out slow the first week of August, but soon the chorus will be so loud it will drown out every other night sound.

The Scent of a Lilac

Lean close. Can you smell it? Oops. Careful. There's a bee.

Try this one.


Is there anything sweeter than the smell of a lilac?

New Jersey State Botanical Gardens in Ringwood, NJ has a collection of 200 lilacs planted in the 1920s. They have spent years carefully pruning them so that they are at the right height to allow not only for viewing but more importantly (at least for me) smelling pleasure. The plants start to bloom in late April and peak around Mother’s Day.


We wandered among the heavily scented beds. The sun-warmed blossoms wafted their perfume into the air while we gently lift the heavy panicles to breathe deeply. I overheard conversations about the beauty of these flowers, the exquisite color of those and above all the comparisons of the various scents. Some were sweet, some spicy, others delicate, or woodsy. Families moved from bush to bush to sniff and examine the different shades of color. The flowers were white, violet, blue, lilac, pink, purple and a startling magenta.



I encourage you to go sometime this week to the gardens while the lilacs are at their peak. (They are down by Parking lot B.) It is lovely anytime of the year, but this week is my favorite.