The top of Pine Hill wears its October aspect – effect of the drought.

August 27

August 27, 2023

From Heywood's Peak I am surprised to see the top of Pine Hill wearing its October aspect, — yellow with changed maples and here and there faintly blushing with changed red maples. This is the effect of the drought. 

As I go up Pine Hill, gather the shrivelled Vaccinium vacillans berries, many as hard as if dried on a pan. They are very sweet and good, and not wormy like huckleberries. Far more abundant in this state than usual, owing to the drought. 

As I stand there, I think I hear a rising wind rustling the tops of the woods, and, turning, see what I think is the rear of a large flock of pigeons.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, August 27, 1854

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The top of Pine Hill wearing its October aspect.  See October 22, 1852 ("Looking over the forest on Pine Hill, I can hardly tell which trees are lit up by the sunshine and which are the yellow chestnut-tops")

Blushing with changed red maples. See August 27, 1852 ("The leaves of some young maples in the water about the pond are now quite scarlet, running into dark purple-red.”)

As I go up Pine Hill, gather the shrivelled Vaccinium vacillans . . . very sweet and good. See July 13, 1854 ("In the midst of July heat and drought.. . .Vaccinium vacillans on Bare Hill ripe enough to pick, now considerably in advance of huckleberries; sweeter than last and grow in dense clusters . . . This vacillans is more earthy, like solid food"): July 29, 1858 ("The V. vacillans berries are in dense clusters, raceme-like, as huckleberries are not."); July 29, 1859 ("Vaccinium vacillans begin to be pretty thick and some huckleberries.") July 31, 1856 (“How thick the berries — low blackberries, Vaccinium vacillans, and huckleberries — on the side of Fair Haven Hill! ”);August 4, 1854 ("On this hill (Smith's) the bushes are black with huckleberries. ...Now in their prime. Some glossy black, some dull black, some blue; and patches of Vaccinium vacillans inter mixed."); August 4. 1856 ("Still denser bunches and clusters of V. vacillans, of various varieties, firm and sweet, solid food"); August 28, 1856 ("Huckleberries are about given up"); September 1, 1859 ("Vacciniums, now past prime and drying up,"). See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Blueberries

I think I hear a rising wind rustling the tops of the woods, and, turning, see what I think is the rear of a large flock of pigeons. See August 17, 1858 ("C. saw pigeons to-day."); September 2, 1852 ("Small flocks of pigeons are seen these days."): September 13, 1858 ("A small dense flock of wild pigeons dashes by over the side of the hill. ") and note to September 15, 1859 ("Dense flocks of pigeons hurry-skurry over the hill.")

August 27. See A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, August 27

The top of Pine Hill 

wears its October aspect – 

effect of the drought.

A Book of the Seasons,  by Henry Thoreau, The top of Pine Hill  wears its October aspect.

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

https://tinyurl.com/hdt-540827