Today in the northern hemisphere, we welcome the summer solstice, known as the longest day and shortest night of the year. The sun is at its highest point in the sky because the earth's northern pole is at an axial tilt of 23.5-degree, and is at its closest point from the sun. Here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, on Friday, June 20th, the summer solstice will arrive at 10:42 p.m.
Willow Oak Tree (Quercus phellos)
"One way of celebrating the Solstice is to consider it a sacred time of reflection, release, restoration, and renewal." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach
Around 6:30 p.m. this evening, I arrived in Pasadena for a mindful nature walk. The first thing I noticed when I stepped onto the park trail was the sound of black crows cawing into the air and as I walked closer to the area, I spotted the crows perched on Sweet Gum trees known by their prominent star shaped leaves. Maybe the crows were having a quarrel or they could have been cheering on the jet skiers propelling across the water as boaters and fishermen were enjoying marine sport on the Chesapeake Bay.
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
It was 84°f with a light breeze rustling leaved branches and gracing sun kissed faces. Ample sunshine warmed my back as I walked toward the tree lined trail. Virginia Creeper and Poison Ivy were entwined along the linked fence that surrounds the pond and there was a lovely fragrance permeating the air from Common Milkweed that gives off the scent of lilacs when the sun lights upon them.
A Great Blue Heron is standing tall on its usual post in mid pond, occupied with preening its feathers. Well camouflaged toads can be heard but not seen as a male red Northern Cardinal sings from an upper tree branch.
The sound of gentle waves coming to shore are accompanied by a distant lawn mower cutting grass before the weekend officially begins and though the water level is low, a lifeless Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab will soon be swept back into a watery grave.
While standing under the shade of a willow oak tree, I took this photo of the sun's descent beyond the pond. Turtles were resting on a log sunning in the warm summer weather whilst insects buzzed around my head.
As I walked down the road toward the lot where I parked my car, there was a long stretch of red berries standing out against green foliage. At first sight, I thought they may be wild raspberries, but soon realized upon closer examination that they were prickly invasive wine berries overtaking native shrubbery.
There were a pair of Osprey on stands and a pair of Mallard ducks in the natural habitat restoration area. However, they were farther away than my phone camera could properly capture. This beautiful view was the perfect ending to my walk.
I'd like to close this post with a lovely insightful expression on solstices by American author Gary Zukav.
"Both the Winter and the Summer Solstices are expressions of love. They show us the opposition of light and dark, expansion and contraction, that characterize our experiences in the Earth school so that we can recognize our options as we move through our lives."
Exploring the World Day-by-Day; Capturing Nature's Wondrous Display! ~Jen
Despite the differences that exist between political, cultural, religious, or national values, we all share the common need for a healthy, clean, sustainable global environment.