Monthly Archives: July 2011

Thanks to the drought, the bracken...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 21, 2011 at 8:02 am

Thanks to the drought, the bracken patch in my yard is browning from the outside in. A wild sunflower beside the path bows toward the east.

Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A rare-for-summer inversion layer:...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 20, 2011 at 8:16 am

A rare-for-summer inversion layer: throaty jake-break and tire whine, you sound like winter, that discordant note running under our lives.

Tagged , | 2 Comments

Too humid for clothes, too buggy for...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 19, 2011 at 1:14 pm

Too humid for clothes, too buggy for bare skin. An enormous yellow bee-fly circles the tansies once, then zooms over to investigate my ear.

Tagged , | 1 Comment

Already too warm by 7:30; the first...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 18, 2011 at 12:31 pm

Already too warm by 7:30; the first cicada by 8:00. Before the 19th century, I wonder, how did people interpret its industrial whine?

Tagged | 1 Comment

It’s tussock moth caterpillar...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 17, 2011 at 11:44 am

It’s tussock moth caterpillar season. One climbs my boot while another thrashes at the end of its silk thread, stuck half-way to the ground.

Tagged | 3 Comments

A Carolina wren swipes its bill back...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 16, 2011 at 11:58 am

A Carolina wren swipes its bill back and forth on the end of a dead limb, as if sharpening a knife. A groundhog sneezes in the strong sun.

Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Whither the thrush whose ethereal notes...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 15, 2011 at 11:20 am

Whither the thrush whose ethereal notes woke me at dawn? A male towhee flies up to a sunlit branch and takes a shit, singing.

Tagged , | 3 Comments

A helicopter alone in the clear sky...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 14, 2011 at 10:20 am

A helicopter alone in the clear sky: the mingled notes of its motor, high and low. A firefly sails past, inner wings glowing in the sun.

Tagged , | 4 Comments

The incremental opening of the tansy...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 13, 2011 at 12:36 pm

The incremental opening of the tansy flowers seems nearly complete. Two of the yellow heads are dotted with small brown shield bugs.

Tagged , | 1 Comment

Wind moves in the trees behind the...

By Dave Bonta | Published July 12, 2011 at 12:12 pm

Wind moves in the trees behind the trees, and a small yellow leaf tumbles down from the overcast sky, taking its time to reach the ground.

Tagged | 6 Comments