Observation #333

First sound of cicadas at around 8:50 this evening. Just a short burst, then it was done. Heard it again the next night, similar burst. It was like someone turned on the cicada radio with the volume set too loud and then quickly turned it off.

Observation #521

First lightning bug sighting!! This summer it seems like there are lightning bugs everywhere.

Observation #449

Hello!  I have noticed this year that Flickers are making a lot of noise the last week and a half.  I want to record this so that next year I will see if this is random or a time for Flicker calls. 

Also, I'm not sure if it's Flickers or Red-bellied woodpeckers. 

Observation #4976

Tonight at 8:35 I heard my first cicada song of the summer!!!

Observation #4255

Tonight I saw my first lightning bug sighting, one little yellow green pulse right above the pitch of my roof.

Observation #444

Hello!  Summer's greetings! Well, almost!  This Wednesday is the Summer Solstice and the official first day of Summer!
With that, I herald my first sightings/sounds of my favorite bugs of summer.

On our walk this evening my family heard our first sounds of cicadas!  
Side note, at the beginning of our walk, my son said he hoped to see some owls.  We have never seen owls on our walk before, but at the last stretch of our walk we heard a Great Horned Owl hoot!  He/She even answered our return hoot!  Summer sounds abound!

My mom saw her first lightning bug on May 28.  I hardly go out at night at this point in my life and am usually so sleepy after finally getting the kids to bed that I don't even look outside.   So my first lightning bug sighting was about a week ago.

two observations and a thought

two great things to hear and listen to in bed: rain and trains
my daughter has been putting her face really close to mine and then makes her eyes really wide...
she seems to be trying to communicate something, but I haven't figured it out yet.

And I lament the lives lost in the metro station in St. Petersburg.
I worry...I worry about the Russian people...
I worry that the explosion is a false flag
I don't like that I am thinking things like this..
but my gut...my gut...
I have been feeding it and it is intelligent
Far more than I
 Peace to you Northern Russians. Cry and feel. Much love.

City of Peter, just you shine
And stand unshakable as Russia!
May make a peace with beauty, thine,

Observation #235 --Update.

My new shoes smell like puppy. This doesn't bother me one bit.

**Update**

Okay, it's kind of bothering me. It was really neat when all day yesterday I kept smelling puppy, which is a luxurious smell but didn't know why. It was an epiphany when I realized it was my new shoes that smelled like puppy and not some weird ass brain tumor or that my husband was somehow hiding a puppy in our house. A few hours after this confirmed observation it is getting on my nerves. I know it's not a puppy, it's my shoes. What kind of noxious off-gassing am I inhaling--strike that--are WE inhaling? --Yeah, I'm a We right now--Weird-- New shoe, new puppy smell is bothering me.

Also, I think I'm waaaaay off on the observation number...it's got to be over a million...a lifetime of observations only equals to a few hundred? I think not.

Observations

June 2nd, first lightning bug sighting.
Last night, encountered toad in garden, yes, was emitted upon--big time.
Nevermind the consequences, will continue to pick up toads.

two things

I saw my first lightning bug of the summer last night.  I have been documenting these first sightings for awhile now.  I don't know what I expect to do with this knowledge, but I save the calendars with my nature observations anyway.  While searching through Google images for lightning bugs, I came across this blog.

And this drawing...

The blogger, one Margaret Huber,  draws on her train ticket from London to Brighton everyday.  I really like this art concept.

Found a yellow wild pansy in my yard.  Pulled it up by the roots before my husband mowed over it.  Put it in water.   Keeps blooming!  

I think I'm getting pretty good at identifying plants.  My first guess was right--which was based on the flower scene from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland."