Summer's End — Marilyn Lamoreux Photography

It’s beginning to look and feel a bit like

Summer’s End

though I am soaking in every moment of these bright balmy days that I can. The leaves no longer look fresh and new. They’re a bit worn and bug bitten. And lots of summer’s beautiful flowers have come and gone. I’ve noticed that the birds are visiting the feeders more frequently and today I saw a male goldfinch that was beginning to lose its bright neon gold summer color.

There comes a warning like a spy

A shorter breath of Day

A stealing that is not a stealth

And Summers are away —

— Emily Dickinson

Today we were planning to visit the Monarch migration festival in Foley, Minnesota to photograph the migrating monarchs. But because of the rains this week, the organizers of festival informed us that the grounds were very muddy and that parking was going to be limited and further away. We decided to forego our visit there as I didn’t think that I would last very long mucking through the mud with my camera gear. I am feeling a little sad to have missed the wonder of seeing many butterflies in the wild.

I’ve seen very few monarchs this year and my daughter tells me they are now listed as an endangered species. How sad! I remember when they seemed so common and ordinary to me and that I would see scads of them in local parks. This year I’ve seen only one or two all summer long.

As imperceptibly as Grief

The Summer lapsed away —

Too imperceptible at last

To seem like Perfidy —

A Quietness distilled

As Twilight long begun,

Or Nature spending with herself

Sequestered Afternoon —

The Dusk drew earlier in —

The Morning foreign shone —

A courteous, yet harrowing Grace,

As Guest, that would be gone —

And thus, without a Wing

Or service of a Keel

Our Summer made her light escape

Into the Beautiful.

— Emily Dickinson