Summer's chorus Thunder grumbles on the western horizon. The shadow of the coming storm's massive anvil darkens the sky. Graceful wild columbine and Canada mayflower still bloom on the hilltops. The storm looms closer, rumbling louder in the distance, the sun hidden now behind a veil of hazy clouds. A crystal-clear pond reflects the fortress of birch and oak.
Dragonflies dance across the surface.
A green frog strums to break the silence, and from the shadows of the fringing cedars, the clear, liquid song of the veery rings out. The chorus of the woodland thrushes has begun. The song of the veery floats effortlessly across the calm water, joined by another farther down the shore. Another woodland thrush, the American robin, chimes in with its cheerful and familiar song. The cedar swamp is a haunting place to spend a quiet summer evening.