Really special music can be heard in the woods during summer evenings. This painting of an oak tree surrounded by lightning bugs is an acrylic painting on blue paper.
A darkness prevails in the understory of the woods, but the green leaves at the very tops of the oak trees remain illuminated by a retreating sun. The piercing call of a northern flicker cuts through the woods while robins softly purp. Hurried twitters of more birds start and stop and fade into a decrescendo with distance as the singers fly away to their roosts for the evening.
Scissor-grinder cicadas near and far relentlessly sound a loud pulsing whirl. The mechanical buzz is accompanied by shorter bursts of melodic trills sung by gray tree frogs. A sudden accent of rustling leaves in the canopy occurs. It is orchestrated by a raccoon maneuvering from one tree branch to another among the yellow-green flashes of lightning bugs. Elsewhere, a broken branch eerily creaks as it sways in the wind and under the tug of gravity.
Crickets play delicate chirps from the edges of their wings while a single oblong-winged katydid offers occasional high-pitched shaking sounds resembling the shakes of maracas filled with fine yet heavy seeds. Common true katydids fill the woods with two-, three-, and four-note grates. Katy. Katy did. Katy didn’t.
Barely seen in a slight clearing in the woods are bats flying in circles. Entirely unheard to human ears, more silent to us than the quietest of ghost notes, the bats emit an ultrasonic chatter. Conducted as echolocation, the bats’ calls escape their mouths, reach the insects they pursue, and bounce back and into their ears.
Darkness has finally and completely encapsuled the woods. The only brightness to be seen comes from the star-speckled navy sky illuminated with a moon’s glow. The birds, frogs, and cicadas have mostly quieted. The raccoon has disappeared, and the lightning bugs flash less frequently. But the bats still circle, and the hum of katydids and crickets persists. These summer concerts will continue until the days and nights grow colder and colder. By the time the first frost arrives, the concert venue will have changed and with it the musicians and singers and songs to hear.