Hazy, Hot And Humid: A Short Walk As Summer Arrives In Northeastern Pennsylvania.

We finally got my  favorite kind of  Summer weather here  today, hazy, hot and humid. It was mostly sunny with temperatures nearing 90 degrees. I didn’t get to enjoy all of it,  I had a long day at the office and didn’t get home until late in the afternoon. When I did, I  immediately grabbed my camera and macro lens and took a walk near home in the late afternoon heat.

As I walked to the ponds near my house I knew Summer was advancing by the blooming of the pugnet wild herb tansy.  This invasive species was brought here from Europe as a medicinal herb and now grows wild along our roadsides.

I also came across some  queen anne’s lace, another sign that it is Summer in our area

As I got into the woods I found some wild raspberries which were beginning to ripen. My dad and I enjoyed these tasty treats provided by mother nature.

The black berries are a few weeks from ripening but it looks like there will be a good crop.

The day lilies, another invasive species that escaped cultivation, are now blooming along the roadsides and trails.

As is the delicate touch me not flowers. The crushed flower is a folk remedy for insect stings and bites and, having used it many times, I can say it works. 

I think the late afternoon heat had many of the insects avoiding the late afternoon heat and I didn’t see many bees, wasps or other insects on the many wild flowers now blooming in the area. The comfrey usually attracts many bees but only a few today. 

I did see a few dragonflies and damselflies on my walk. 

And this pretty moth.

The leaves have lost their bright green colors of Spring but are still so complex, delicate and beautiful when viewed up close with the macro lens. 

And looking at the leaves I found this young snail under the shade of a leaf, avoiding the intense sun. 

So much to see so close to home. I am sure I would have found many other wonders of the natural world had I more time to walk, but it was late and I was hungry so I headed home. Our heat wave will continue for a few days and I hope to get out and enjoy my favorite Summer weather. Here is a link to some more photographs from my hike. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/macro-walk-july-6-2016

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
― Henry James