At 8:00 this evening, July 1,2014, I sat in the back yard to be at one with nature. Right away I noticed that white clover flowers and male fireflies rising from the short grass and flashing their cold, abdominal lights were abundant on our lawn. The north-western sky was orange as the sun set and I thought about the sun not setting at all above the Arctic circle during this time of year. And although the temperature was in the mid 80's and the humidity was high, a steady breeze made being outdoors more tolerable.
As I watched the numerous fireflies flashing I saw a few chimney swifts careen across the sky after flying insects while the resident male catbird sang softly as if talking to himself. A few mourning doves dove into our tall spruce trees on whistling wings to stay the night while a mother robin continued to feed her babies in their nest. Other robins fluttered among the trees and called out from them.
Suddenly, a little brown bat flew out of a tree in our neighborhood and fluttered erratically across our lawn. Then another bat went over and another until I counted 5 maybe 6 little brown bats zipping across our back yard and away to spend much of the night catching flying insects. I was surprised, but glad, to see that many bats in our neighborhood.
I watched for an opossum or a striped skunk, both species of which have made appearances in our neighborhood in the past, but no such luck this evening. Nor did I see moths.
A few mosquitos found me about 9 o'clock and I thought it time to go in the house. But the sunset, breeze, fireflies and bats were entertaining and well worth the hour spent in the back yard.
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