The witch-hazel at Lee's Cliff.

September 29.

Cool and windy. Wind roars in the trees. 

Viola cucullata, Aster puniceus and longifolius still.

Solidago speciosa out in Hubbard's Swamp since I went away, say ten days ago. This must be a late one, then. 

Diplopappus linariifolius, Aster undulatus, and a few small ones.  

Red oak acorns fall.

The witch-hazel at Lee's Cliff, in a fair situation, has but begun to blossom; has not been long out, so that I think it must be later than the gentian. Its leaves are yellowed.

Barberry ripe.

Sumachs and maples changed, but not trees generally.

Bluets still.

Viburnum Lentago berries yet.

Lambkill blossoms again.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 29, 1853

Viola cucullata. See September 9, 1858 ("Many Viola cucullata have opened again"); September 12, 1851 ("Found a violet, apparently Viola cucullata, or hood-leaved violet, in bloom in Baker's Meadow beyond Pine Hill."); September 28, 1852 ("I find the hood-leaved violet quite abundant in a meadow, and the pedata in the Boulder Field.  I have now seen all but the blanda, palmata, and pubescens blooming again. . . This is the commencement, then, of the second spring. Violets, Potentilla Canadensis, lambkill, wild rose, yellow lily, etc., etc., begin again") See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, the Violets

Aster puniceus and longifolius still. See August 30, 1856 ("The Aster puniceus is hardly yet in prime; its great umbel-shaped tops not yet fully out"); September 1, 1856 ("A. longifolius, hardly one seen yet.”); September 15, 1856 ("Aster longifolius and puniceus . . . in prime"); . October 7, 1857 ("Crossing Depot Brook, I see many yellow butterflies fluttering about the Aster puniceus, still abundantly in bloom there.");  October 8, 1856 ("Of asters, only corymbosus, undulatus, Tradescanti, and longifolius . . .are common."); October 30, 1853 ("Along the Depot Brook, the great heads of Aster puniceus stand dry and fuzzy and singularly white, — like the goldenrods and other asters, — but some quite low are still green and in flower"); November 3, 1853 ("The Aster puniceus by brook is still common, though the worse for the wear, — low and more recent ones, — so that this, though a week ago it was less prevalent, must be set down as later than the A. undulatus. It bears the frosts much better, though it has been exposed to more severe ones from its position. And with this must be included that smooth and narrower- leaved kind, in other respects the same, one of which, at least, I think I have called A. longifolius. They seem to run into each other. I am inclined to think it a smoother A. longifolius"); November 5. 1855 ("Crossing the Depot Field Brook, I observe the downy, fuzzy globular tops of the Aster puniceus. They are slightly tinged with yellow, compared with the hoary gray of the goldenrod")

Solidago speciosa. . .This must be a late one. See September 15, 1854 (“Solidago speciosa at Clamshell out several days”); . September 27, 1856 (“To Clamshell by boat. Solidago speciosa not quite out!!”) October 2, 1856 ("Solidago speciosa completely out, though not a flower was out September 27th)

Diplopappus linariifolius. See August 3, 1858 ("Savory-leaved aster.");  August 4, 1851 ("a bluish "savory-leaved aster.""); August 22, 1859 ("The savory-leaved aster (Diplopappus linariifolius) out; how long?"); September 18, 1856 ("Diplopappus linariifolius in prime."); October 10 1858 ("Pulling up some Diplopappus linariifolius, now done")

Aster undulatus. See  September 20, 1852 ("Aster undulatus, or variable aster, with a large head of middle-sized blue flowers.");   October 2, 1859 ("The A. undulatus looks fairer than ever, now that flowers are more scarce."); October 6, 1858 ("the Aster undulatus is now very fair and interesting. Generally a tall and slender plant with a very long panicle of middle-sized lilac or paler purple flowers, bent over to one side the path. ");; October 25, 1858 ("The Aster undulatus is now a dark purple (its leaves), with brighter purple or crimson under sides.");   November 3, 1858 ("Aster undulatus is still freshly in bloom"); November 7, 1858 ("Aster undulatus and several goldenrods, at least, may be found yet.")

Red oak acorns fall. See September 12, 1854 (“The red oak began to fall first.”); October 12, 1858 (“Acorns, red and white (especially the first), appear to be fallen or falling")

The witch-hazel at Lee's Cliff must be later than the gentian. See September 29, 1857 ("I hear that some have gathered fringed gentian."); See also  September 18, 1854 ("Fringed gentian near Peter’s out a short time, . . ., it may after all be earlier than the hazel.”); September 18, 1856 ("Unquestionably the gentian is now far more generally out here than the hazel."); September 18, 1859 ("From the observation of this year I should say that the fringed gentian opened before the witch-hazel"); October 1, 1858 ("The fringed gentians are now in prime."); October 2, 1853 ("The gentian in Hubbard's Close is frost-bitten extensively. As the witch-hazel is raised above frost and can afford to be later, for this reason also I think it is so.")  See also 

Witch-hazel in prime,

Yellow leaves by their color

conceal the flowers.

October 4, 1858

 October 4, 1858 ("Witch-hazel apparently at height of change, yellow below, green above, the yellow leaves by their color concealing the flowers. The flowers, too, are apparently in prime. The leaves are often richly spotted reddish and greenish brown. ") And also A Book of the Seasons by Henry Thoreau, The Fringed Gentian; A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Witch-Hazel

Barberry ripe. See September 29, 1854 ("Now is the time to gather barberries"); --  See also August 23, 1853 ("Barberries have begun to redden,");  September 12, 1851 ("The pendulous, drooping barberries are pretty well reddened. I am glad when the berries look fair and plump"); September 13, 1856 ("The barberries are abundant there, and already handsomely red, though not much more than half turned"); September 13, 1852 ("The barberries, now reddening, begin to show.”). September 16, 1852 ("The barberries are red."); September 16. 1857 ("Barberries very handsome now. See boys gathering them in good season.").; September 18, 1856 ("The barberries are not fairly turned"); September 22, 1851 (" the red drooping barberries sparkle amid the leaves."); September 24, 1859 ("A great many have improved this first fair day to come a-barberrying to the Easterbrooks fields."); September 28, 1856 ("How many fruits are scarlet now! — barberries, prinos, etc.");  September 28, 1859 ("Children are now gathering barberries, — just the right time"); October 5, 1857 ("Many are now gathering barberries."); October 18, 1857 ("I see many robins on barberry bushes, probably after berries."); October 20, 1857 ("The barberry bushes are now alive with, I should say, thousands of robins feeding on them.")

Sumachs and maples changed, but not trees generally. See September 20, 1852 (“The smooth sumachs are turning conspicuously and generally red, apparently from frost, and here and there is a whole maple tree red, about water.”)

Bluets still. See August 26, 1856 ("Bluets still.")

Viburnum Lentago berries yet. See A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, Viburnum lentago (nannyberry)

Lambkill blossoms again. See September 10, 1857 ("I see lambkill ready to bloom a second time.”); September 19, 1852 ("The Viola lanceolata has blossomed again, and the lambkill."); September 28, 1852 ("This is the commencement, then, of the second spring. Violets, Potentilla Canadensis, lambkill, wild rose, yellow lily, etc., etc., begin again") 

The birch bark canoe

September 22.

Behind one house, an Indian had nearly finished one canoe and was just beginning another, outdoors. I looked very narrowly at the process and had already carefully examined and measured our birch. Canoe is nearly straight on bottom — straight in principle — and not so rounded the other way as is supposed.

Vide this section in middle.

The sides bulge out an inch or so beyond the rail. It took him a fortnight or three weeks to complete a canoe after he had got the materials ready. I was much struck by the method of this work, and the process deserves to be minutely described, — ...

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 22, 1853

Amid the red shirts of the lumbermen

September 20.

There was one woman on board, who got in at the Kineo House, who looked oddly in the one saloon for gentlemen and ladies, amid the red shirts of the lumbermen. It rained very hard while we were aboard the steamer. We had a small sloop in tow, and another stopped to speak with us, to inquire after a man who was missing. 

A fortnight before, he had left his horse and carriage at Sawyer's, saying that he was going to get a moose and should be back in two days. He set out in a birch alone from the south end of the lake. At length they had sent the horse home, which brought on his friends, who were now looking for him and feared that he was lost in the lake. It was not very wise to set out in a canoe from the south end of the lake to kill a moose in two days.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 20, 1853

A sensitive soul will be continually trying its strings to see if they are in tune.

September 12. 

I was struck this afternoon with the beauty of the Aster corymbosus with its corymbed flowers, with seven or eight long slender white rays pointed at both ends, ready to curl, shaving-like, and purplish disks, — one of the more interesting asters. 

The Smilacina racemosa berries are well red now; probably with the two- leaved. 

It occurred to me when I awoke this morning, feeling regret for intemperance of the day before in eating fruit, which had dulled my sensibilities, that man was to be treated as a musical instrument, and if any viol was to be made of sound timber and kept well tuned always, it was he, so that when the bow of events is drawn across him he may vibrate and resound in perfect harmony. 

A sensitive soul will be continually trying its strings to see if they are in tune. A man's body must be rasped down exactly to a shaving. It is of far more importance than the wood of a Cremona violin.



H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 12, 1853


A sensitive soul will be continually trying its strings to see if they are in tune. See July 16, 1851 ("This earth was the most glorious musical instrument, and I was audience to its strains. To have such sweet impressions made on us. . .,");  March 13, 1853 ("a poet must sustain his body with his poetry."); March 30, 1853 (" when the walker . . . sees, hears, scents, tastes, and feels only himself, - the phenomena that show themselves in him, - his expanding body, his intellect and heart.”); December 11, 1855 ("To perceive freshly, with fresh senses, is to be inspired. My body is all sentient. As I go here or there, I am tickled by this or that I come in contact with, as if I touched the wires of a battery.")

Cool weather. Sit with windows shut, and many by fires.

September 11.

Cool weather. Sit with windows shut, and many by fires. A great change since the 6th, when the heat was so oppressive. The air has got an autumnal coolness which it will not get rid of again. Signs of frost last night in M. Miles's cleared swamp. Potato vines black. 

In a stubble-field, I go through a very fine, diffusely branching grass now going to seed, which is like a reddish mist to my eyes, two feet deep, and trembling around me.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 11, 1853

A great change since the 6th, when the heat was so oppressive. The air has got an autumnal coolness which it will not get rid of again. See note to September 11, 1854 ("The first . . . decidedly autumnal evening. It makes us think of wood for the winter. ")

The season of the fruit of the flower.

September 3.

Now is the season for those comparatively rare but beautiful wild berries which are not food for man. 

If we so industriously collect those berries which are sweet to the palate, it is strange that we do not devote an hour in the year to gathering those which are beautiful to the eye. It behooves me to go a-berrying in this sense once a year at least. To fill my basket with the neglected but beautiful fruit of the various species of cornels and viburnums, poke, arum, medeola, thorns, etc. Berries which are as beautiful as flowers, but far less known, the fruit of the flower.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 3, 1853

It behooves me to go a-berrying in this sense once a year at least. To fill my basket with the neglected but beautiful fruit of the various species of cornels and viburnums, poke, arum, medeola, thorns, etc. See September 3, 1856 ("Gather four or five quarts of Viburnum nudum berries, now in their prime, attracted more by the beauty of the cymes than the flavor of the fruit."); See also September 11, 1859 ('September is the month when various small, and commonly inedible, berries in cymes and clusters hang over the roadsides and along the walls and fences, or spot the forest floor").; September 18, 1859 ("How little observed are the fruits which we do not use!")

The medeola berries

September 2.

The maple-leaved viburnum berries are a dark purple or black now. They are scarce.

The red pyrus berries are ripe.

The dense oval bunches of arum berries now startle the walker in swamps. They are a brilliant vermilion on a rich ground, seen where they have fallen off, which ground turns dark-purple.

The medeola berries are now dull glossy and almost blue-black; about three, on slender threads one inch long, arising in the midst of the cup formed by the purple bases of the whorl of three upper leaves.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 2, 1853

The dense oval bunches of arum berries now startle the walker in swamps. See September 28, 1856 (“The arum berries are still fresh and abundant, perhaps in their prime. . . .It is one of the most remarkable and dazzling, if not the handsomest, fruits we have.”)

The medeola berries are now dull glossy and almost blue-black. . . arising in the midst of the cup formed by the purple bases of the whorl of three upper leaves. See  May 25, 1852 ("Medeola or cucumber-root in bud, with its two-storied whorl of leaves. "); June 2, 1853 ("The medeola has been out a day or two . . . -- another green flower."); August 27, 1851 ("The Medeola Virginica, cucumber-root, the whorl-leaved plant, is now in green fruit.")  See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, Cucumber Root (medeola)