A damp, earthy, mildewy scent to the ground in wood-paths.

July 16.

A thick fog began last night and lasts till late this morning; first of the kind, methinks. 

Many yellow butterflies and red on clover and yarrow. 

Is it the yellow-winged or Savannah sparrow with yellow alternating with dark streaks on throat, as well as yellow over eye, reddish flesh-colored legs, and two light bars on wings? 

Solidago nemoralis yesterday. 

Woodcock by side of Walden in woods. 

Methinks there were most devil's-needles a month ago. 

Aralia nudicaulis berries well ripe. 

See August 17, 1851

("The Polygala sanguinea, caducous polygala, 

in damp ground, with red or purple heads.")

The Polygala sanguinea heads in the grass look like sugar-plums.

After the late rains and last night's fog, it is somewhat dog-dayish, and there is a damp, earthy, mildewy scent to the ground in wood-paths.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, July 16, 1854

A thick fog began last night and lasts till late this morning; first of the kind . . . it is somewhat dog-dayish. See July 14, 1853 ("Heavy fog.'); July 17, 1854 ("Last night and this morning another thick dogdayish fog . I find my chamber full this morning . "); July18, 1854 ("A haymaking morning fog , through and above which the trees are glorious in the sun . "); July 19, 1853 ("This morning a fog and cool."); July 22, 1851 ("The season of morning fogs has arrived. . . .These are our fairest days, which are born in a fog."); July 22, 1854 ("Fogs almost every morning now.") Compare August 28, 1859 ("Thick fogs these mornings. We have had little or no dog-days this year, it has been so dry.")

Many yellow butterflies and red on clover and yarrow. See July 16, 1851 ("I see the yellow butterflies now gathered in fleets in the road, and on the flowers of the milkweed. . .; also the smaller butterfly, with reddish wings, and a larger, black or steel-blue, with wings spotted red on edge, and one of equal size, reddish copper-colored."); July 14, 1852 ("See to-day for the first time this season fleets of yellow butterflies in compact assembly in the road”); July 19, 1856 ("Fleets of yellow butterflies on road.");  July 22, 1853 ("Yellow butterflies in the road");July 26, 1854 ("Today I see in various parts of the town the yellow butterflies in fleets in the road, on bare damp sand, twenty or more collected within a diameter of five or six inches in many places.") See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, Yellow Butterflies; A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Small Red Butterfly

Is it the yellow-winged or Savannah sparrow.? See June 10, 1854 ("What is the seringo? I see some with clear, dirty-yellow breasts, but others, as to-day, with white breasts, dark-streaked. Both have the yellow over eye and the white line on crown, and agree in size, but I have seen only one with distinct yellow on wings . . . Are they both yellow-winged sparrows? or is the white-breasted with streaks the Savannah sparrow?"); June 12, 1854 ("Do I not see two birds with the seringo note, — the Savannah (?) sparrow, larger with not so bright a yellow over eye, none on wing, and white breast, and beneath former streaked with dark and perhaps a dark spot, and the smaller yellow-winged, with spot on wing also and ochreous breast and throat? ");  June 26, 1856 ("According to Audubon’s and Wilson’s plates, the Fringilla passerina has for the most part clear yellowish-white breast (vide May 28th), but the Savannah sparrow no conspicuous yellow on shoulder, a yellow brow, and white crown line.") See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Savannah Sparrow (Fringilla savanna)

Solidago nemoralis yesterday. See July 17, 1853 ("The Solidago nemoralis (?) in a day or two, - gray goldenrod.")

Woodcock by side of Walden in woods See  July 10, 1854 ("Woodcock seen within two or three days."); July 13, 1852 ("Each day now I scare up woodcocks by shady springs and swamps."); July 15, 1857 ("Scare up . . . two woodcocks in the shady alder marsh at Well Meadow, which go off with a whistling flight. ");  July 18, 1856 {"Again scare up a woodcock, apparently seated or sheltered in shadow of ferns in the meadow on the cool mud in the hot afternoon."} See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The American Woodcock

Methinks there were most devil's-needles a month ago. See  June 19, 1860 ("The devil's-needles now abound in wood-paths and about the Ripple Lakes."); June 23, 1853 ("Devil's-needles of various kinds abundant, . . .thousands of devil's-needles of all sizes hovering over the surface of this shallow pond in the woods,. "); See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the Devil's-needle

Aralia nudicaulis berries well ripe. See July 7, 1853 ("Sarsaparilla berries are ripe."); July 19, 1856 ("On Linnaea Hills, sarsaparilla berries."); August 12, 1856. (" The Emerson children say that Aralia nudicaulis berries are good to eat "); See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)

The Polygala sanguinea heads in the grass look like sugar-plums. See July 6, 1854 ("Polygala sanguinea, apparently a day or more."); July 13, 1852 ("The Polygala sanguinea and P. cruciata in Blister's meadow, both numerous and well out."); July 13, 1856 ("Polygala sanguinea, some time, Hubbard's Meadow Path; say meadow-paths and banks."); August 17, 1851 ("The Polygala sanguinea, caducous polygala, in damp ground, with red or purple heads.") See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Polygala

Somewhat dog-dayish – 

damp earthy mildewy scent 

to ground in wood-paths.

A Book of the Seasons,  by Henry Thoreau, A damp earthy mildewy scent 

A Book of the Seasons,  by Henry Thoreau

 "A book, each page written in its own season,

out-of-doors, in its own locality."

 ~edited, assembled and rewritten by zphx ©  2009-2024

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