Wednesday, July 20, 2016

A middle-sized copper-colored devil's-needle.

July 20. 

P. M. — Up Assabet. 

Button-bush, apparently two or three days. 

I suspect that those very variously formed leaves in and about woods which come to naught — like the sium in deep water — are of the nabalus. 

Caught a middle-sized copper-colored devil's-needle (with darker spots on wings), sluggish, on a grass stem, with many dark-colored elliptical eggs packed closely to outside, under its breast.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, July 20, 1856


A middle-sized copper-colored devil's-needle. See June 13, 1854 ("I float homeward over water almost perfectly smooth, my sail so idle that I count ten devil's-needles resting along it at once."); July 17, 1854 ("I am surprised to see crossing my course in middle of Fair Haven Pond great yellowish devil's-needles, flying from shore to shore."); July 27, 1856 ("A great devil's-needle alights on my paddle...");


Floating homeward, I 
count devil's-needles at rest 
on my idle sail.


Flying shore to shore, 
yellowish devil's-needles 
cross their Atlantic. 


A devil's-needle 
keeps its place on my paddle
against a strong wind.

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