August Littles ….. 2025
September 8, 2025
Ohhhhhh, what a sweet month …… August. It almost got away from me without sharing a small collection of Littles1 that reflect the inevitable shifts in nature that occur during the month. It’s always hard to imagine summer winding down; where did the time go? But as surely as butter melts on freshly baked bread, undeniably, August forms a reliable bridge between summer and autumn. It’s a time of change and transition; abundance and harvest; transformation and a period of letting go.
So before I “let go” and before the snow flies (and it will), here’s a handful of little discoveries during the month of August:
-A female Wheel Bug gone slightly astray while searching for a protected place to overwinter the eggs she’s about to lay.
-A female Soldier Beetle doing her best to attract a mate by sending out pheromones while munching late season pollen from the disk flowers of a brilliant yellow Showy Goldeneye.
-An acorn that made it to maturity, ready to drop beneath a still green-leaved Gambel Oak soon to be decked out in radiant fall colors.
-Some hot red trumpet-shaped Scarlet Gilia flowers, still irresistible to hummingbirds until migration, will all be pollinated in time for seed set and mature.
-The snowy white fruit dangling from the draping branches of Roundleaf Snowberry shrubs are ripe and ready for plucking by hungry birds flying south for the winter.
-And plump purple-black Chokecherry berries that will become a juicy dietary supplement for black bears needing to bulk up for hibernation.
Enjoy!
And as always, thanks for dropping by!
1“Littles” is part of a blog series I began posting several years ago, beginning in January 2023. The concept was inspired by Fay (thanks again Fay!) who came up with the idea for her blog madebyfay.wordpress.com
If you’d like to read more of an explanation, check out my January 2023 post, Winter Birding on Sedillo Hill
a curious nature 
Was this done in watercolour, Barb? Your use of shadow to create dimension is masterful. What a gorgeous page, and yes, this is one of the most beautiful time of year for colour play.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Gouri! Yes, watercolor; more precisely, I used watercolor pencil (Derwent Inktense). Nice to use for journaling, especially when in the field. I can color without applying water immediately. Thank you also, so much, for the wonderful compliments about the page and shadowing. Enjoy the coming fall season!
LikeLike
A very lovely, colorful, interesting collection of nature sightings! The page composition is very pleasing and the shadows on the zoom in circles are so effective. It does feel like there has been a shift in the weather, signaling a transition; a “bridge” as you described it is brilliant! Thanks for sharing your corner of the world, Barb!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks very much for the comments, Karen! I really appreciate the feedback on composition and shadowing. Enjoy your days of seasonal shifts!
LikeLiked by 1 person