The Sounds of Autumn

While bird song signifies spring, the insect chorus tells of autumn's approach. Temperatures were hovering around 80 when I walked into the waning evening light to close the chicken coops, remove Lily's fly mask and give her a bedtime snack. The insect chorus was overwhelming. Think rock concert, not symphony. Bug activity is in overdrive now. Gnats swarm tomatoes, melons, pears, my beer. Moths dance just a few feet above the pastures. I keep a vigilant eye out for the wasps and hornets that love to nest near gates, metal farm equipment. Early morning dew highlights the spiders' work -- on trees, fences, draped between weeds. What I haven't seen yet, but what I look for, is the willy worm -- the caterpillar with the stripes that predict the winter to come.