Wednesday, July 14, 2010

To Botrychium Swamp.

July 14.

Perceive now the light-colored tops of chestnuts in bloom, and, when I come near them, an offensive, sickening odor, somewhat like that of the barberry blossoms, but worse. Returning, I notice on a large pool of water in A. Heywood's cow-yard a thick greenish-yellow scum mantling it, an exceedingly rich and remarkable color, as if it were covered with a coating of sulphur. This sort of scum seems to be peculiar to cow-yards, and contrasts with that red one by the Moore's Swamp road last summer.

Out of foulness Nature thus extracts beauty. These phenomena are observed only in summer or warm weather, methinks.


H. D. Thoreau, Journal, July 14, 1860

Chestnuts in bloom. See July 19, 1852 ("The chestnuts on Pine Hill being in blossom reveals the rounded tops of the trees")

1 comment:

  1. The Ailantus glandulosus (Warren's yard), in its height probably on Saturday, 14th, filled the streets with a disagreeable sickish odor much like that of the chestnut . I should put this, the chestnut, and the barberry together. HDT Journal , July 16, 1860

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