A Book of the Seasons: October 4

October 4.

Well it wears the frost

in the middle of the day –

mouse-ear in the shade.

October 4, 1853

Bumblebees on the 

Aster undulatus and

gnats dance in the air.

October 4, 1853

Water milkweed pods 

small slender straight and upright.

Seeds large with much wing.

October 4, 1856

From time to time a 

half-strain from some young sparrow 

who thinks it is spring.

October 4, 1857

Yellow leaves of the 

white willow thickly strew the 

bottom of my boat.

October 4, 1857

Leaves are strewn over

the surface of the water –

light crisp colored skiffs.

October 4, 1858

Witch-hazel in prime --

Yellow leaves by their color

conceal the flowers.

October 4, 1858

Birds seem to delight

in the warm hazy light these

first fine days of fall.

October 4, 1859

Now the year itself 

begins to be ripe 

ripened by the frost 

like a persimmon.  

October 4, 1859

The year itself like

a persimmon ripened by

the frost is now ripe.

October 4, 1859

October 4, 2020

*****

The mouse-ear in the shade in the middle of the day, so hoary, looks as if the frost still lay on it. Well it wears the frost. October 4, 1853

Now the year itself begins to be ripe, ripened by the frost, like a persimmon.  October 4, 1859

Many of the grapes shrivelled and killed by frost now, and the leaves mostly fallen. October 4, 1857

The maidenhair fern at Conantum is apparently unhurt by frost as yet.  October 4, 1859

Bumblebees are on the Aster undulatus, and gnats are dancing in the air. October 4, 1853

Wind from northeast. Some water milkweed flying. Its pods small, slender, straight, and pointed perfectly upright; seeds large with much wing.  October 4, 1856

 I hear from time to time a half-warbled strain from some young sparrow who thinks it is spring.  October 4, 1857

The birds seem to delight in these first fine days of the fall, in the warm, hazy light October 4, 1859

Many white and red maple, bass, elm, and black willow leaves are strewn over the surface of the water, light, crisp colored skiffs.  October 4, 1858

The yellow leaves of the white willow thickly strew the bottom of my boat. October 4, 1857

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.  October 4, 1858

October 4, 2018

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 © 2009-2019