And I serve the fairy queen,
To dew her orbs upon the green:
The cowslips tall her pensioners be;
In their gold coats spots you see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours:
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
~ William Shakespeare
(A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
We had a very wet spring and so far it’s looking to be a wet summer, too. Tuesday we got two inches of rain! It rained all day and I enjoyed many hours of family history research. But Wednesday we emerged from our den and took a walk in the very wet woods. And we saw several cedar waxwings, a new bird for us!
As I approached this tree I was trying to figure out if it might be a shagbark hickory. (Still not sure…) And then a new experience for me: orbs appeared in the viewfinder when I went to take a picture! In the past, orbs have been an occasional surprise when they show up in pictures downloaded from the camera. But these were there before I even took the picture.
In the span of centuries the rock became glazed with a gray-green crust of lichen almost indistinguishable from the rock itself, a bare coating of life.
~ Robin Wall Kimmerer
(Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge & The Teachings of Plants)
These trees and stones are audible to me,
These idle flowers, that tremble in the wind,
I understand their faery syllables,
And all their sad significance.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Collected Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson 1823-1911)
Lovely photos! Was this “mulberry tree” day?
Thank you, Janet! Yes, it certainly was. 😉
Ohhh, such beautiful verses to go with your incredible photos. Yes, our wet wet weather has led to indescribably green and lush landscapes of trees and flowers and tender birds. The orbs are quite interesting!
Thank you, Pam! It seems like every time I go outside these days I am dazzled again and again by the lush, vivid summer greenery surrounding us. The birds seem to be singing more this year, too. Orbs are fascinating, they seem to appear and disappear without much rhyme or reason.
The birds are reveling in the green magic of this season! xo
Beautiful – summer is such a special time of year.
Thank you, Sheryl. It certainly is, especially early in the morning and late in the evening…
A beautiful post, one among many … love the juniper berries photo …
Thank you so much, Jane! The juniper berries had orbs of dew on them, too.