A red-bellied woodpecker inspects the trunk of a tree.
An acorn falls from a tree and pelts the ground with a thud. The impact stirs a small pale moth who flutters from one blade of grass to the safety of another. Crickets move through the grass as well, crawling and hoping alongside dense pockets of spiderwebs. Red berries of various plants have suddenly appeared here and there. So have gnarly orange mushrooms on the sides of trees.
Summer ends quietly. Darker days begin with cold mornings that lead to warm afternoons. Lightning bugs no longer flash, and cicadas who sing in the early evening become quieter. Robins who were territorial during the nesting season now form flocks. As the green tree canopy starts to bronze, a lull ensues. But it does not last. Autumn builds momentum.