Design

I had almost 40 people for a full moon hike this evening. A big group, to be sure, largely family groups, but also couples and singles. There were also many more young children than usual, perhaps because of Labor Day weekend. One of the things I love about summer and early fall evenings are the sounds -- ground crickets, tree crickets, katydids, owls, tree frogs, etc. And, with digital technology, it's increasingly easy to learn more and share the sounds (and sights) of nature day and night. I used my iPod nano for the first time, attached to a small portable speaker, to play (the quite different) calls of crickets, katydids, and cicadas, with the backdrop of the real-time nocturnal symphony. It had helped me distinguish between their sounds and songs, so I thought it would be helpful for a group program (as long as the tech part wasn't too distracting). It worked well, and hopefully encouraged participants to listen more closely on more peaceful night-time excursions. I...

The last of the field crickets are singing now, until frost stills them. I don't know which species they are -- I know we have several fall crickets, but I'm far away from my 'area of expertise'! Here's a link to a fall field cricket song from the University of Florida. The magic of digital. I love the seasonal waxing and waning of the nocturnal symphony of insect songs (and frogs, and birds, too). The symphony is at its peak in summer .