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| Sweet Pepper, clethra alnifolia |
I set off to hike Norwood Farm in search of smelling the sweet pepper, clethra alnifolua, in bloom. It is hard to describe how it’s scent demands focus. The sarsaparilla odor takes over my senses. If you want to be removed from the cares and craziness of the rest of the world, walking scented paths reigns supreme. Between the scent, listening for birdsong, watching for favorite wildflowers and following flitting butterflies, how could I possibly think of anything else? Smells subdue Trump’s indictment, US debt downgrade, continuing war in Ukraine, controversies over college admissions....
The little ladies tresses orchids (spirantheses tuberosa) were in bloom! The St John’s cross, hypericum stragulum, was also out. The sickleleaf silk-grass, pityopsis falcata, were in full bloom along the Pout Pond road. They used to be known as sickleleaf asters. I hadn’t seen barn swallows before at Norwood Farm, but they darted past in the insect heaven.
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| Little Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthese tuberosa |
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| St. John's Cross, hypericum stragulum |
Intimations of summer’s decline were evident: The first of the goldenrods, the slender goldentop (euthamia caroliniana), have opened, and the leaves of the Tupelo are turning their red and mahogany. But there was still the clatter and clamor of young eastern towhees and catbirds near the ponds.
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| Slender Goldentop |
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| Sickleleaf Silkgrass |
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| Tupelos |
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| Tupelo leaf |
Last night was the first of August 2023's two supermoons, the Sturgeon Moon. According to the Farmer's Almanac, this is the time of year that indigenous populations found large numbers of sturgeon easy to catch in the Great Lakes. I don't know if I've ever eaten sturgeon.
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