The Sultry Hum Of Insects

from the journal of
Henry David Thoreau:

June 9, 1856/

Without an umbrella, thinking the weather settled at last. There are some large cumuli with glowing downy cheeks floating about. Now I notice where an elm is in the shadow of a cloud,
-—the black elm-tops and shadows of June. It is a dark eyelash which suggests a flashing eye beneath. It suggests houses that lie under the shade, the repose and siesta of summer noons, the thunder-cloud, bathing, and all that belongs to summer. These veils are now spread here and there over the village. It suggests also the creak of crickets, a June sound now fairly begun, inducing contemplation and philosophic thoughts,-—the sultry hum of insects.

Shinumo Amphitheater from outside Copper Canyon (top)
backcountry bouquet (middle)
Royal Arch Canyon (below)