The roaring sound of cicada tymbals has noticeably quieted. The next generation of periodical cicadas is young and silent. After hatching from eggs laid in trees, they will fall to the ground and tunnel into the earth, where they will live in darkness for years. These days it is the lightning bugs who are putting on a show.
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.
